Gamecca Magazine March 2015 by Gamecca Magazine

ISSUE 69 / Vol.6 March 2015

www.gameccamag.com

Evolve Dying Light Monster Hunter 4 Ultimate The Order:1886 And More...

Faster!

The Palit JetSTream GeForce GTX 960 Reviewed

All Clear

We look at Asus’ MX27A monitor

Death Awaits

Big Game...

Join the Bloodborne struggle

Evolve’s ultimate hunt

Fear Sunset Delve into Dying Light

Get On Board

Board gaming in South Africa

Shootout! Battlefield takes on cops-and-robbers

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H OW O

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Gold Award

Given to games and hardware that score above 90

Silver Award

Given to games and hardware that score above 85

Send Gamecca an email

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Bronze Award

Given to games and hardware that score above 80

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Edâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Choice

Given to products that stand out for various reasons. This award is not dependent on score.

From the Editor

EndofaQuarter

t’s March, which means that it is the last month of 2015’s first quarter. In terms of gaming and technology, it also means that people are starting to get down to business, which is a good thing; 2015 was off to something of a rocky start, and we have had to contend with a number of quiet months. And let’s not forget delays… tons of delays in product releases, which just makes things a little more aggravating. But as we cruise into the year’s third moth, things certainly are looking up. The games have started flowing – not the deluge that we see at the end of the year, but still a fairly steady stream of new titles. There’s some exciting new hardware on shelf too, including the New Nintendo 3DS, which is an overhauled and upgraded version of the world’s top-selling hand-held console. And, of course, we are just a few months away from E3 2015, which will likely be crammed full of great games coming up (and, of course, the subsequent delays which are becoming more and more prevalent). At a glance, the months leading up to E3 still have a lot to offer, though. Titles like Battlefield: Hardline, Mario Party 10, Project CARS, Mortal Kombat X, Dead Island 2 and The Witcher 3: The

by Walt Pretorius

Wild Hunt are making things look really good, and that’s just a few of the games up on offer. There’s a lot of speculation, too, about what will be happening later in the year. There will be a new Assassin’s Creed title (and hopefully an opportunity for Ubisoft to redeem the franchise) as well as the next instalment in Warner Bros’ Batman franchise, and there have been guesses at the possibilities of a new Guitar Hero game and even a sequel to Red Dead Redemption. Whatever it works out to be, 2015 looks like a very exciting year, and E3 will allow us to have a much clearer picture of what the undoubtedly crazy end of the year will bring. In the meantime, there’s still a lot of great gaming to get to, particularly if you take advantage of the free games provided by Sony and Microsoft’s online services. And there will likely be more than a few surprises along the way… under-hyped games, diamonds-in-therough and that sort of thing, all of which adds up to making gaming such an exciting thing to do. While we wait with baited breath, there’s a new issue of Gamecca Magazine to get through. It’s crammed full of great stuff, so let me leave you to it. g mgeect 2 c7a 6 9 ggl a ad

THIS MONTH’S COVER

Battlefield takes to the mean streets in Hardline

Publisher / Editor: Walt Pretorius walt@novamentis.co.za

Publisher / Art Director Katia Taliadoros katia@novamentis.co.za

Writers: Alex Scanlon Charlie Fripp Iwan Pienaar Lein Baart Nthato Morakabi Rob Edwards Suvesh Arumugam Walt Pretorius

Regular: Did you know More factoids you should know

Feature: Urban Warfare Battlefield turns to a life of crime

Previews: Games 11 games on the horison...

Feature: Bloodborne Prepare to die... repeatedly

Reviews: Games 15 games scrutinised

Regular: Legacy few fell as hard as Daikatana did...

Letters: letters@gameccamag.com

Competition Entries: competitions@gameccamag.com

Newsletter Subscriptions: www.gameccamag.com

Marketing Contact: marketing@novamentis.co.za

Welcome to the end of Q1 80

Ramjet’s Rantality

does evolution equate to appreciation? 116

Technically Speaking

Can a game be too long? 128

Ed’s Note

The Time Betwixt

Believing everything...

Taking fun seriously! All rights reserved. No content may be reproduced, copied or transmitted without the express permission of the publishers. Opinions expressed are not necessarily those of the editors and publishers. All Trademarks and Registered Trademarks are the sole property of the respective owners.

138

The Last Word

Sugar Coated...

GAMECCA is published by Nova Mentis (Pty) Ltd

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Feature: Staying on Top Will the new model keep the 3DS on top?

reviews: Hardware Nine bits of awesome tech

110

Regular: Internet Does hacktivism work?

114

Regular: Security Securing your browser

120

Feature: The Other Interactive Game Board games are all the rage...

126

COOL STUFF: Gadgets Two smartphones for your consideration

130

COOL STUFF: Comics More great reading material

129

Gamecca Vol. 6 Issue 69 March 2015

Saintâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Row IV: Re-Elected

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“[Dying Light is] a sprawling free-roaming adventure in which the zombies are plentiful, the weapons are crazy and daylight is the player’s best friend.”

12 34

18 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 30 31 32

40 46 48 54 56 62 64 66 68 69 70 72 73 74 75

10 76

Features Battlefield: Hardline Bloodborne

PReviews Batman: Arkham Knight Mario vs Donkey Kong: Tipping Stars The Elder Scrolls Online: Tamriel Unlimited Atelier Shallie: Alchemists of the Dusk Sea Kholat Final Fantasy Type 0 SpongeBob HeroPants Sid Meier’s Starships Toukiden: Kiwami Dead or Alive 5: Last Round Mario Party 10

Reviews The Order: 1886 Monster Hunter 4 Ultimate Evolve Rogue Legacy Dying Light Saint’s Row IV: Re-Elected & Gat out of Hell Terraria Legend of Zelda: Majora’s Mask Apotheon Kick & Fennick Don Bradman Cricket Kirby Fighters Deluxe Dedede’s Drum Dash Deluxe Ironfall: Invasion Transistor

RegularS Did you know Legacy

COLUMN Ramjet’s Rantality

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GAMING

Did You

Know?

1…

that Diablo 3 is getting micro transactions? European and North American Diablo players weren’t too pleased when Blizzard introduced the Auction House in the title, and after it was subsequently removed, it looks like it will be making a come-back. But don’t stress my swordwielding friend, you are not going to come near any microtransactions anytime soon – unless you live in China. Diablo 3 is about to be released in the Asian country, and there microtransactions are a big deal. So Blizzard, in anticipation of launch, said that Chinese players will be able to buy and trade things with real currency. We highly doubt that the action will be making its way this way anytime soon though…

2…

that there is a 10-player arcade strategy game? Do you remember those old arcade machine where you had to pop in a 20c piece and play Donkey Kong for all of like 15 minutes? Well, can you image playing those arcade games with nine of you friends? Well, that is exactly what the world’s first 10-player arcade strategy game is all about. The game is called Killer Queen, and it’s a fiveaside team-based strategy platformer. It requires a minimum of eight people to play, but don’t go rushing to your nearest games arcade: it is only available in five locations in the US. And out of interest, the game is a bit weird. All that we could make out is that you have to collect berries and take it back to base.

3…

that Rock Band is about to make a come-back? After the plastic instrument craze started to die down, most of the music-based games from the era got dragged down with it. Guitar Hero was the first to fall, but EA’s Rock Band stood firm for a while. And it looks like things are starting to pay off. After releasing some new tracks last month and an extensive gamer survey, it seems like everything is on track for EA to revive the Rock Band franchise on current-gen machines. It would be really interesting to see if Activision follows suit with a new Guitar Hero, and how Rock Band will be able to compete with Ubisoft’s excellent Rocksmith. Only time will tell, we guess. gamecca69

DID YOU KNOW

Rock Band, Battlefield and multiplaying arcades

4…

that you can help build the next Battlefield map? Do you have a good idea for a Battlefield 4 map? Have you ever though that you could do a better job than multiplayer developer Dice? Well, now is your chance, as Dice is looking to BF4 players to help them design a new map for the game. The new map will be tested in the Community Test Environment (CTE) by Battlefield 4 Premium members, but as to how exactly you can throw your two cents into the ring, isn’t clear yet. At the end of it all, the new map will be made available to all players as free DLC to “say thank you to the Battlefield community for sticking to your Battlefield 4 guns.”

5…

that you don’t need Assassins’ Creed Unity’s companion app anymore? Assassins’ Creed Unity had a rather colourful release to say the least, and in between all the faceeating bugs and weird parkour mechanics, players encountered another problem: the companion app. Ubisoft designed elements in Unity that forced players to make use of the app in order to unlock several chest and items within the game. The app worked for about two weeks after launch, and then crashed. So now Ubisoft has lifted the restrictions on the app, and opened all the in-game chest and items associated with it. Seeing the error in their ways, they have done away with it – hopefully never to return.

6…

that you can now take screenshot with your Xbox One? It has been teased for a while, but if you hurry over to your Xbox One and do the monthly dashboard update, you will notice something special. Gamers have been asking for it for some time now, and Xbox Head Phil Spencer has finally give the thumbs-up for players to be able to take in-game screenshots. If you are on the Xbox One Dashboard Preview program, you would have had the functionality for about two weeks now. Frankly, we just can’t wrap our heads on why it took so long. In any case, just double-tap the Guide button, and hit ‘Y’. g

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U AT

URBAN W

GAMING

The Battlefield franchise

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Battlefield Hardline

WARFARE

e has stuck to its gunsâ&#x20AC;Ś

By Charlie Fripp

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U AT

GAMING

n the world of gaming, where iconic titles and characters abound, rare is the series that can lay claim to defining a genre. Rarer still is the series which, having so thoroughly eclipsed everything around it, has had its very name become synonymous with everything even remotely related to it. Grand Theft Auto has become the byword for open world games, and even titles that share only a vague similarity to it are inevitable weighed and measured according to the standards it sets. Now, with GTA 5 beckoning on the horizon, once again the gaming community is readying itself to plunge with heedless abandon into the heady world of decadence, crime and corruption that has become the series’ mainstay. Stretching as far back as 2002, the Battlefield franchise has had us killing all sorts of enemies in a variety of place. But even looking back now at the bad graphics and horrible mechanics of Battlefield

1942, it is a title that many gamers of today will regard in high esteem. Yes, it might not have been a pretty game and it had a lot of glitches, but if it weren’t for those, the series might not have been as popular as it is today. It was the beginning of something big, and developer Electronic Arts could feel it. One can argue that the same glitches are still in place 13 years later, but set that aside for a minute and take a step back to look at the franchise as a whole. Man, there have been some really good Battlefield games… I have to admit, that I didn’t really get into the Battlefield franchise until two years later with Battlefield: Vietnam. The game had a certain appeal, and while the graphics were marginally better than that of Battlefield 1942 and its two sequels, it seem like an improvement in general. It was also the first time that gamers could get

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Battlefield Hardline

behind the flight sticks of a Bell UH-1 helicopter (or any helicopter, for that matter) in the franchise. The Vietnam conflict was a particularly weird one for the US, as it was the first time that helicopters played a combat role, and the terrain certainly had its challenges. But still, the PC-only title managed to sell millions of copy – and probably introduced a million more gamers to first-person shooters. A string of games later, 2006’s Battlefield 2142 is probably one of the titles that EA would like to be forgotten, locked away in the vaults of bad game ideas and shoddy designs. Retaining the war aspect, EA decided to take the title into the future – which didn’t do too well for them. It wasn’t until two year later that things started to go a bit better: 2008 saw the release of Battlefield: Bad Company. Not only was the game one of the most

enjoyable in terms of plot and dialogue, but also in its graphical capabilities. That was thanks to the fact that EA, for the first ever, made use of the Frostbite engine. In its first version, the engine allowed for detailed graphics, better motion and hit detection and overall better graphics. The engine had HDR Audio, which made important sounds louder for better hearing, and it also featured Destruction 1.0, a mechanic that allowed players to destroy certain objects. It truly was a turning point – not only for the franchise, but also for EA. After Battlefield: Bad Company, the developer produced a number of expansion packs for the games already in its stable, as well as a Vietnam version on Bad Company, and even a free-to-play Battlefield Play4Free game. But arguably, the biggest title by sheer amount

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GAMING

E M W A IE G EV R

of people playing, came in 2011, which is still Battlefield 3. The game made was the last title to make use of the Frostbite 2 engine, so EA pretty much had the hardware down to a T. While the franchise had been going on for nine years prior, Battlefield 3 was many gamers’ introduction to the series if they didn’t know about it before. Everything just seemed to work into the studio’s favour, as it was the last Frostbite title, it was the last Battlefield on previous generation consoles, and it was released at just the right time – towards the end of the year. It’s actually difficult to say that a certain game was a defining point for the franchise, as bar for some of the early releases, pretty much any Battlefield title that EA pumps out has been well received. And besides, any game that can produce five expansion/DLC packs has already made its

money back. As a matter of interest, if you compare all the Metacritic scores of most of the Battlefield titles, Battlefield 2 is actually on top with an average of 91%. The lowest scoring Battlefield game of all time according to Metacritic is the Xbox360 version of Battlefield 2: Modern Combat with 79%. That is if you disregard the third-person Battlefield Heroes, which managed to muster up 69%. Keeping the momentum going and hoping that players will continue the trend of taking things to battle, Battlefield 4 arrived two years ago and marked the first title to be released that made use of the revamped Frostbite 3 engine. The new engine allowed EA to work with a whole new set of actions and aspects, which allowed them to push things just that little bit further. This gave them the flexibility to develop maps on a much larger scale while keeping the graphics at an optimum and

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Battlefield Hardline

disc space as low as possible. Battlefield 4, as with any Battlefield game for that matter, wasn’t without its faults, but in May last year the official tally was over 7 million copies sold. It also spawned five separate DLC packages, of which the last one was released as late as December last year. To nobody’s surprise, this year will see the release of another Battlefield title, but it will be taking a departure from the usual format. Battlefield Hardline is going all out on the copsand-robbers theme, where players portray the roles of either thugs trying to rob a bank, or the police that have been dispatched to stop them. We recently got a pretty good taste of what the game will be like thanks to a beta, but down to its core it is still very much a Battlefield title. Say what you want to about the franchise, there are still players knee-deep in the war against others and that isn’t going to change anytime soon.

EA know it, and the market knows it. Battlefield seemed to find a nice formula very early on, and it literally stuck to its guns. Other staple franchises like Call of Duty have been around for almost as long, and for the most part the two franchises are mortal enemies, but they do have one thing in common: entertainment. Its human nature to be entertained, and CoD as well as BF have tapped into the vein of entertainment with a host of updates, adapting to changes in the market, and listening to what players want. Previous BF games are a good testament to that, in the sense that EA hasn’t revisited titled that didn’t do very well – proving that you are at least on the pulse of what gamers want more so than other. And don’t forget that they actually have the money to throw behind new developments. Like it or love it, the Battlefield franchise is here to stay. For a very long time. g

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E M W A VIE G E R P

Batman: Arkham Kni GAMING

The bat is back

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Batman: Arkham Knight

ight

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But as far as super heroes go, Batman has routinely been the subject of many, many video games. It is arguable that he has starred in more video games than any other character – save probably for Spiderman or Superman. While the early attempts to immortalise him in a video game turned out somewhat OK, it has only been in the last couple of year that his characters has really been given the love and attention it deserves. Taking the grittiness from the Dark Knight films, Batman: Arkham Knight follows on from the previous titles, of which 2013’s Batman: Arkham Origins was last – which also makes this the fourth instalment in the Batman: Arkham series.

GAMING

hat is there to say about Batman that fans don’t already know? Well, the caped crusader has been fighting crime for longer what most of us have been alive, and has built up an incredibly strong following. Analysing the alter-ego of Bruce Wayne, you will soon realise that he isn’t a typical super hero – if he can even be described as a super hero. What makes him rather unique in a field of characters and villains with all sorts of powers, is that he has none. He fights crime with brute strength – and of course the very generous helping of some of the coolest gadgets known to man. That is his super power – the very best tools and toys that a billionaire can buy.

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Batman: Arkham Knight

to that, gamers will now be able to glide through the city by making use of Batman’s cape, which allows for longer sustained flights, steeper dives and higher climbs. But one of the biggest things that players surely can’t wait to get into, is the Batmobile – and yes, it is a driveable element in ‘Knight’. Running through the streets of Gotham City, Batman can summon the Batmobile at will, or it will be delivered where he lands while in flight. In any case, if you are a fan of Batman, you should definitely get your hands on a copy of Batman: Arkham Knight when it comes out – it is well worth the money. g

AT A GLANCE Action

If you are a fan, you better not miss this one.

Developer: Publisher: Distributer:

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Rocksteady Studios Warner Bros. Ster Kinekor

JUN 2015

Platforms

GENRE

ETA

PC X360 X0 PS3 PS4 Wii U PSV 3DS AND iOS

by Charlie Fripp

If you played the title prior to Origins - 2011’s Batman: Arkham City – you should feel right at home for his one, as it takes place one year after Origins’ conclusion. To jolt your memory, Batman is at his height of his abilities and needs to confront Scarecrow, who has returned to Gotham City. There always seems to be a plot to kill Batman… While the story carries on from ‘City’ left off, this title will make use of a number of elements present throughout the entire franchise, and will see a return of some of the most-loved gadgets and tools. Some of the tools that players can look forward to are the grapnel gun, line launcher, batarangs, the countering system and detective vision. In addition

GAMING

Mar 2015 Developer: Publisher: Distributer:

Nintendo Software Technology Nintendo Core Group

PLATFORMS

Star-speckled rewards

PC X360 X0 PS3 PS4 Wii U PSV 3DS AND iOS

AT A GLANCE GENRE

Puzzle

Mario and Donkey Kong return to bout it puzzle style. Create, edit and share your created levels cross-platform for hours of puzzle fun.

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by Nthato Morakabi

Mario vs Donkey Kong: Tipping Stars

he Mario vs Donkey Kong series has been running for just over a decade, with the first title coming to the Gameboy Advance in 2004 and evolving into this sixth instalment, titled Tipping Stars. The premise of the game centres around Donkey Kong reprising his role as villain, with Mario as the hero. The objective will be to direct toy Mario characters across various levels and platforms towards freedom, utilizing the touch screen on the Nintendo 3DS and on the Wii U game pad. The biggest feature this title will be bringing to the series is the ability to create levels that others online will be able to play through. This was something Nintendo had looked into back in 2002 for a title that would have been called Donkey Kong Plus, however the title was scrapped for what would become Mario vs Donkey. The “tipping” system will allow players to give stars to level creators. These stars will then let the creator unlock more items and therefore create more intricate and challenging puzzles. This is part of Nintendo’s continuous promotion of the Miiverse and ensuring that the Nintendo gaming community grows together through the various games. Players on either platform (Wii U or 3DS) will be able to play and share their levels crossplatform. With over 80 puzzles to solve, the unlimited number of puzzles other players will be able create and share and the ability for players to create their own levels to share, is sure to offer players hours of fun. As a bonus, Nintendo have stated that should you buy this title on one console, they will offer a download code for the other version too. g

Mario vs Bound ofDonkey flameKong: Tipping Stars

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GAMING

Mar 2015 Developer: Publisher: Distributer:

ZeniMax Online Studios Bethesda Softworks Ster Kinekor

PLATFORMS

Freemium claims another victim

PC X360 X0 PS3 PS4 Wii U PSV 3DS AND iOS

AT A GLANCE GENRE

MMORPG

While not particularly surprising, the move to free-to-play might give TESO a foothold in a very saturated market

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by Lein Baart

The Elder Scrolls Online: Tamriel Unlimited

he MMORPG genre has seen a dramatic shift over the last couple of years, with the traditional subscriptionbased model in danger of becoming completely irrelevant. As more and more quality freeto-play (FTP) titles find their way onto the digital shelves, those games that still dare to charge a monthly fee for your enjoyment are quickly finding themselves losing their customer base. While WoW still remains the exception, the shift of business models seen by the likes of The Old Republic stands as stark evidence that gamers do not like mandatory costs. It’s a lesson that’s not caught on too quickly however, and one that Bethesda seems to have learnt the hard way. Thus enters The Elder Scrolls Online: Tamriel Unlimited, the official rebranding of the game as FTP. Beginning in March for PC/Mac gamers and in June for its release on consoles, Tamriel Unlimited will follow the model that Guild Wars laid down, requiring gamers to purchase a copy but thereafter offering all the original content for free. Those that have remained loyal to the game since its launch have not been forgotten however, with ZeniMax Online Studios offering a unique mount and costume, and players can continue to pay through ESO Plus, which will provide in-game bonuses and free access to future DLC. Of course, Bethesda is still looking to make money from the game, and this will come in the form of microtransactions via the soon-to-launch Crown Store. Peddling “convenience and customisation” items, the developers have stressed that this will not be a “pay-to-win” solution. Coupled with the recently phasedin Champion and Justice systems, The Elder Scrolls Online might just be catching a second wind. g

The Elder Scrolls Online: Tamriel Unlimited

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Mar 2015 Developer: Publisher: Distributer:

Gust Koei Tecmo TBC

PLATFORMS

The Art of Alchemy

PC X360 X0 PS3 PS4 Wii U PSV 3DS AND iOS

AT A GLANCE GENRE

JRPG

A unique take on the traditional JRPG formula, Atelier should offer up some welcome novel experiences for newcomers and fans alike

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by Lein Baart

Atelier Shallie: Alchemists of the Dusk Sea

or the most part, JRPGâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s (Japanese role-playing games) tend remain a relatively niche product in the western world, with the likes of Final Fantasy and the Legend of Zelda proving a very small exception to the rule. Despite certain titles being extremely popular in the east, even when localised (translated) for a certain region they tend to remain under the mainstream radar, attracting a few passionate fans. Such has been the case with the Atelier series, a franchise that been released in English since 2005 and yet remains largely unknown to western gaming world. The sixteenth main entry in the series, Atelier Shallie: Alchemists of the Dusk Sea will be the third release in the Dusk trilogy, this time telling the story of Shallote and Shallistera. Like the previous games, players will be given a choice between the two protagonists, each with their own storyline and take on the main plot, though the series has never been noted for its strong narrative. The main draw of the game will lie in its crafting mechanics, known in-world as alchemy. While not a particularly new concept, the Atelier system, which will see players combing ingredients and skills to create unique items, has received praise in the past for its creativity, and returning fans can expect no less from the latest incarnation. The Dusk Sea will also feature the return of its excellent turn-based tactical combat, allowing up to six characters to battle in tandem. New to the series is the introduction of the Life Task System, which will dynamically adapt to the style of the player, requiring gamers to perform certain tasks or suffer performance hits during item gathering or exploration. g

Atelier of Shallie: Alchemists of the Dusk Sea Bound flame

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Kholat

GAMING

Apr 2015 Developer: Publisher: Distributer:

IMGN_PRO TBC TBC

PLATFORMS

Missing hikers

PC X360 X0 PS3 PS4 Wii U PSV 3DS AND iOS

AT A GLANCE GENRE

Horror

Will you be able to solve a mystery that the police can’t?

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by Charlie Fripp

ames find inspiration for their subject matter from all sorts of places, but Kholat is definitely one of the more obscure, if not a bit strange, pieces of video game we have seen in a while. Currently in the Steam Greenlight programme, the takes it premises from an incident that happened in Russia in 1959. Conspiracy theories aside, the tale tasks gamers with exploring what happened to nine hikers who died in the Ural Mountains. The adventure-horror game tries to uncover the events from what is known as the Dyatlov Pass incident – which to this day is still unsolved. Gamers will be thrust into the inhospitable Ural Mountains, and from the few game trailers that have been posted online, the game looks like it could have a lot of potential. Think of it as a first-person Uncharted meets Alan Wake. The actual investigation was closed by the Russian authorities, only stating that “a compelling unknown force” had caused the deaths – and this is where the game leaves it to players figure out. But naturally things will go a bit towards the weird side… Developed by IMGN_PRO, the creators promise that it will feature a fear manager, which apparently is a tool responsible for tension in the game. This should really make things a bit interesting, as the visuals portrayed a cold, dark world in which visibility is extremely low – perfect for monsters of any kind to lurk around in. The developers are not saying too much at this stage, only that the main storyline and a lot of background plot will be left to be discovered by players themselves. It’s well worth a little bit of interest. g

Kholat

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Mar 2015 Developer: Publisher: Distributer:

Square Enix Square Enix Megarom

PLATFORMS

The world on the shoulders of fourteen young warriors.

PC X360 X0 PS3 PS4 Wii U PSV 3DS AND iOS

AT A GLANCE GENRE

RPG

Thrust into the tumult of war, the fate of the world and its four crystals now rests on the shoulders of fourteen brave, young warriors.

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by Nthato Morakabi

Final Fantasy Type 0

he Crystal States of Orience have been granted great power in the form of Crystals; ancient powerful artefacts capable of bestowing great power on any individual. The Militesi Empire, in an effort to attain this power for themselves, launched an assault on the other states of Orience. Twelve students from the Vermillion Peristylium, a magical academy in the Dominion of Rubrum, are called to fight against the charging Militesi. As these young warriors becoming entangle within the war, they begin to unravel the secrets behind the attacks and along with it, the secret behind the existence of the crystals. As with almost every Final Fantasy title produced, Type 0 HD will be an action RPG title which will let players take control of the fourteen young warriors that the game centres around. The battles will be on a real-time, actionbased system, with characters brandishing their own unique weapon and activating special abilities. Players will be controlling three players at a time, able to switch between them while the AI system takes over for players not in control. The environment, very much like in Final Fantasy XII and XIII, will be to scale with the in-game characters, creating a more realistic and immersive style of gameplay. Part of these to-scale environments is the large-scale battles players can anticipate to take part in on the world map; some missions will see players command military divisions with the objective of liberating cities and towns from enemy forces. Although originally a PlayStation Portable title, no new gameplay content was ported to Type-0 HD. Instead the focus has been on upgrading the graphics and adjusting existing gameplay for the Xbox One and PS4. g

Final Fantasy Type 0 Bound of flame

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Mar 2015 Developer: Publisher: Distributer:

Behaviour Interactive Activision Megarom

PLATFORMS

Things are getting weird in Bikini Bottom

PC X360 X0 PS3 PS4 Wii U PSV 3DS AND iOS

AT A GLANCE GENRE

Action-adventure

If you like the Bob, you should give it a try.

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by Charlie Fripp

SpongeBob HeroPants

uickly, hands up: who likes a good episode of SpongeBob SquarePants? Even if you don’t want to admit it in public, most of us have seen (possibly multiple) episodes of the little yellow character with his strange friends. Well, as you may or may not know, there is also a SpongeBob SquarePants film out any day now – and naturally a video game will be released in tow. Called SpongeBob HeroPants, this isn’t going to be one of those film adaptations that fail horribly at imitating the action on the screen. Instead, the game will take place directly after the vents of ‘The SpongeBob Movie: Sponge Out of Water’. There has been a number of SpongeBob games before and they weren’t too bad (actually rather enjoyable), so this should fall into the same category. In term of plot for SpongeBob HeroPant, strange things are starting to happen to the loveable character, so much so that his dreams are coming to life, altering the very fabric of space and time. Playing all the familiar locations from the cartoon series, players will be able to go through Bikini Bottom, albeit a different-looking one. See, gamers will be playing through alternate manifestations of the locations, and they need to repair SpongeBob’s mind. And what would a game be without a good mix of superpowers and different characters? All the folks are there, from Patrick, Squidward and Sandy, to Mr. Krabs, and even Plankton. Previous SpongeBob SquarePants games have been rather entertaining, and this one will feature loads of challenges, puzzles, boss battles, upgradable skillsets and hidden treasure. You can never go wrong with SpongeBob. g

SpongeBob HeroPants

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Sid Meier’s Starships Not quite Civ in space

Set in the same universe as Beyond Earth, Sid Meier’s Starships will see gamers return to a world in which earth has been abandoned and humanity has fled across the stars to a distant planet. A thousand years later though the people of the world you so lovingly tamed began looking for signs of mankind’s existence beyond their own celestial borders, and with a faint signal only having been recently detected, you are put in charge of assembling and commanding a fleet to contact your long-lost kin. A tactical turn-based strategy game, Starships will be a very different kettle of fish when compared to its source material, with the majority of the game revolving around a 2D simulation of space warfare. Indeed, almost everything in the game will be geared towards this goal,

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n the world of strategy gaming, hell even gaming in general, Sid Meier’s name has become synonymous with deeply intricate and utterly absorbing empirebuilding titles, and for over two decades the Civilization series has sat atop of the 4X pile, with each iteration pointing the way for the genre. Such is its prevalence though that it’s become easy to forget that the legendary developer was once known for more than just his one franchise, with the likes of Pirates, Railroad Tycoon and Gettysburg all providing vastly different types of strategy gaming goodness. Now Firaxis, having revisited past successes with the launch of Civilization: Beyond Earth last year, are once again looking to break the mould, though this time in a far more drastic manner.

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Sid Meierâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Starships

of various leaders, all of which will offer unique starting benefits to your fleet. The game will feature an overworld map that will see you travelling from planet to planet to trade, engage in diplomacy, complete quests and of course do battle, all with the ultimate goal of expanding your worldâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s federation (because empire is a bad word in space.) Firaxis have also confirmed that Starships will offer interconnectivity with Beyond Earth, allowing the games to influence each other, though how this will be implemented remains to be seen. While it will be offered as a standalone title, those still addicted to the original game will no doubt be breathless in anticipation to see what new strategies Starships has in store. g

AT A GLANCE Turn-based strategy

Shifting from grand strategy to turn-based tactical, Starships is looking to build on the foundations that Beyond Earth laid down... Developer: Publisher: Distributer:

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Firaxis Games 2K Games Megarom

Q2 2015

Platforms

GENRE

ETA

PC X360 X0 PS3 PS4 Wii U PSV 3DS AND iOS

by Lein Baart

with resources, research and expansion all focused on enlarging and developing your fleet. Each ship will be fully customisable with a vast array of components, enabling various strategies and options from stealthy agile closequarters fighters to tank-like carriers, and anything in between. Played on procedural generated maps with include objects such as jump gates and shifting asteroid belts, Firaxis are hoping to provide a deeply tactical experience. Starships is a Sid Meier game though, so players can expect plenty of 4X elements to make an appearance, albeit very narrow in focus. Picking up where Beyond Earth left off, players will have to choose between the three affinities offered in the first title, as well as a host

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Mar 2015 Developer: Publisher: Distributer:

Omega Force Tecmo Koei TBC

PLATFORMS

Twice as much fun

PC X360 X0 PS3 PS4 Wii U PSV 3DS AND iOS

AT A GLANCE GENRE

Third person ARPG

Seemingly more of an expansion than an enhanced edition, Kiwami should offer plenty more frantic action for fans of the original

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by Lein Baart

Toukiden: Kiwami

t’s not often you can say that a game or a series has created a genre by itself, but this is precisely what the Monster Hunter franchise has done. Officially billed as a thirdperson action RPG, Monster Hunter has launched a style of gameplay unique enough to warrant its own classification, and as usual there are games that have tried to emulate its success. While nothing has really come close enough to knock the creator from its lofty perch, especially with the latest game receiving almost universal praise, Tecmo Koei gave it a good shot with Toukiden: The Age of Demons last year, and now western gamers will soon be able to get their hands on the enhanced edition. Set three months after the end of Toukiden, Kiwami will see players defending the village of Utaka from an invasion of demons (called Oni) from the north. Tecmo Koei have stated the release will contain “a brand new story of roughly the same size”, expounding upon the origins of the slayers as well as the “Council of Elders”, while for those new to game Kiwami will feature the entire original plot. The core of Toukiden has always been its gameplay however, and the expansion has given will give it just as much attention, with double the amount of Oni, new weapons, new slayers and over 100 new Mitama. The western release will also be appearing on the PS4, and will support cross-save and cross-play functionality, strengthening the emphasis that Kiwami is placing on co-operative multiplayer with the inclusion of a “new and more powerful move than the “Destroyer”” that can only be executed with allies. g

Toukiden: Bound of Kiwami flame

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GAMING

Q1 2015 Developer: Publisher: Distributer:

Team Ninja Koei Tecmo TBC

PLATFORMS

Get Ready for a fight!

PC X360 X0 PS3 PS4 Wii U PSV 3DS AND iOS

AT A GLANCE GENRE

Fighting

A warrior once thought to be dead returns, now half man, half machine and no memory of his sordid past.

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by Nthato Morakabi

Dead or Alive 5: LasT ROUND

he man who once brought death and destruction in his wake had been assumed dead, however he returns as half man half machine, with no memory of the atrocity heâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;d once caused. The heroine who once disobeyed family and friends in the hopes of regaining honour for her brother, returns to once again face the very evil sheâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;d thought she had destroyed. Dead or Alive 5: Last Round is a continuation of the Dead or Alive 5 series, becoming the third in the series. This instalment brings all 32 fighters from DOA 5 Ultimate including four characters from Virtua Fighter, three characters that had been from a DLC, a new female fighter, and the infamous villain from the first game returning as a cyborg. As with previous titles, DOA 5 Last Round will be heavily combo based, combining various attacks both in the air and on the ground to knock out the opponent as quickly and as efficiently as possible. Destructible stages will continue to intensify the ferocity of each fight as players can utilize the environment to their advantage for added damage to opponents. Character customization still remains a big feature in the Dead or Alive series, as over 300 costumes will be available to unlock and a variety of hairstyles for unique customization options. Two more stages will be available to play; the DOA 2 fan-favourite neon lit streets and sunlit rooftop of The Crimson and the floor panels rigged with explosives that trigger when a fighter hits the ground known as the Danger Zone. The PC version will be coming to Steam as the second Dead Or Alive title to make it to PC since DOA Online. g

Dead or Alive 5: Last Round

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Mario Party 10 GAMING

Bowserâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s bashing banquet

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by Nthato Morakabi

Party Game

Platforms

The party doesn’t start until Mario and the gang hit the scene in yet another family fun party title exclusive to the Wii U. PC X360 X0 PS3 PS4 Wii U PSV 3DS AND iOS

ETA

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AT A GLANCE

Mar 2015

their own unique game mode. The scanned character will have their own board designed for them on which they can participate with 3 other Amiibo figurines. Some of the Amiibo boards to feature will be: Mario, Luigi, Peach, Rosalina, Toad, Wario, Yoshi, Donkey Kong and Bowser. Over 70 mini-games will be available for play, many returning from previous instalments of the long running Mario Party series. From freefor-all mini-games such as the fruit collecting Fruit Scoot-Scurry to golf, to paintball to racing up towers or moving around lava and more. There will also be player versus minigames where players go head to head in 2v2 or ganging up on a single player in 1vs3. And as usual, players can expect the ever intense Boss Battle mini games, pitting players against Petey Piranha, Mega Goomba, King Boo and many of the infamous villains that have graced the Mario Bros series. This will be the first Mario Party title to appear in glorious high definition, and players can look forward to all the characters, landscapes, textures and colours, coming to life as they make their way through the levels. Moving from the amusement park featuring Peach’s Castle, to the haunted graveyards, woods and swamps, to the sunlit clouds to the iconic landmark, Bowser’s Castle. Mario Party 10 will be all about fun competitive play with family and friends, and partying it up Mario style. g

Mario Party 10

owser, the infamous reptilian rapscallion and ever present thorn in the side of Mario and company, once again hopes to take the spotlight as he steals the show in this latest Mario Party title. Mario Party 10 continues from its predecessor in its board game based style of gameplay as players work towards reaching the end of the path with the most Mini Stars collected from various mini games. Each of the characters will have to move around the board in their vehicle by the roll of the dice, with each platform they land on choosing the type of mini-game players will participate in. The progression around the board will be either hampered by obstacles such as the Whomp or assisted by the Toad House item shops. The main feature of this Wii U exclusive title will be for players to step into the sharpened claws of big bad boss Bowser in Bowser Party. Rather than the standard four players, Bowser Party will have five players, with four of them taking control of Mario and the gang on the Wii Remotes while the fifth player causes havoc as Bowser on the Wii U gamepad. The objective for the villain? To deplete the other players’ hearts. The other players will have to work to survive until the end of the course before their hearts run out. Amiibo Party will also be one of the new game modes in Mario Party 10, which will allow players to scan in any of the Amiibo characters for

Developer: Nd Cube Publisher: Nintendo Distributor: Core Group

U AT

Blood GAMING

The Ultimate J

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Bloodborne

dborne

Joy of Dying...

By Lein Baart

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U AT

GAMING

he concept of style, as it relates to a game as a whole, can be a difficult thing to identify for a developer, let alone truly attain. It’s a word bandied about a lot, but when it comes to actually narrowing it down, stating what makes, for instance, a Rockstar game a Rockstar game, inevitably the definition becomes elusive. We all know how an Assassin’s Creed game is supposed to play, but it’s something that goes beyond purely generic descriptions like open-world or parkour. Yet despite its difficulty to characterise it, style certainly exists, and anyone who has picked up any one of the three Souls games will know that From Software has it in spades. It’s relevantly recent meteoric rise to the heights of triple A development have seen it attract a huge amount

of fans, especially since last year’s Dark Souls 2 hit the shelves, and when the developer announced that it was working with Sony to develop a new IP, the gaming community exploded with rumours and anticipation. Well Bloodborne’s release is just around the corner, and once again masochists the world over are preparing to endure yet another round of continual death screens. From Software’s releases weren’t always met with such widely spread excitement. While the studio made a name for itself with the King’s Field and Armoured Core series, it wasn’t until the launch of the action RPG Demon’s Souls in 2009, itself a spiritual successor to King’s Field, that word of the developer began spread amongst western gamers. Noted for its dark, foreboding atmosphere and brutal difficulty, Demon’s Souls was a beautifully conceived and executed title that wasn’t heralded

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Bloodborne

by any noticeable fanfare, but quickly garnered popularity by word of mouth. It was a game that aimed to really challenge its players, with even common enemies able to quickly dispatch you if you became to cocksure, and hugely memorable boss fights that you could see you die and respawn until your world was blinded by a rage-filled haze. It was a philosophy of design that carried through to its spiritual successors, Dark Souls and Dark Souls 2. Set in a different world to first the game, the two titles yet again forced players to become intimately familiar with their bloodied entrails, repeatedly punishing any mistakes and flaws in combat. It also employed the same narrative structure as the first, stranding you in a world with almost no clue as to what was going on, then leaving you to make sense of the grim landscapes that greeted you through brief and sparse dialogues

with the few friendly characters you could find. Backed by a fighting system that demanded not only precise timing with blocks, dodges and attacks, but that you learn from every encounter, the Souls games quickly garnered a reputation for being “hardcore” titles that only the persistent could master. It’s this reputation that has created a large amount of expectations for Bloodborne, especially considering that Hidetaka Miyazaki, the famed director of the first two Souls game, is once again at the helm. From Software though have been quick to point out that Bloodborne is not a sequel to any of its previous titles, being fashioned as an entirely new IP in collaboration with Sony’s Japan Studio. To begin with the setting has shifted from the medieval fantasy realms of Boletaria, Lordran and Drangleic to the Victorian Gothic city of Yharnam, a location

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GAMING

E M W A IE G EV R

inspired in part by Bram Stoker’s Dracula. Players will take the role of a hunter who has come to the city in search of a cure for a mysterious affliction, only to find it being overrun by frenzied humans, lycanthropes and other terrifying creatures, all suffering from an illness known as the “plague of beasts”. Plot details beyond this have been scarce, though the developers have stated that there will be a greater focus on narrative this time round, aided by a deeper mystery at the heart of the story. To complement the dark narrative that From Software have crafted, the studio has taken full advantage of the PS4’s hardware capabilities to bring the city of Yharnam to life in all its horrific glory. Gameplay trailers have shown Yharnam to be dilapidated and decaying, rent by signs of madness as ghoulish townsfolk prowl the streets and wait in darkened corners, while ominous

gothic architecture looms high above. It’s a feat of graphical prowess that is only made possible by this generation’s hardware, according to Miyazaki, and one of the reasons that he chose to depart from the usual fantasy setting. While the surrounding area outside the city will be explorable, including a forest location, the developers have stated that the majority of the game will occur inside Yharnam’s walls. The backdrop of Bloodborne is not the only thing that the developers have changed, and those who have played the Souls games will instantly notice that combat has seen an overhaul. The game will feature a faster-paced, more aggressive approach to battles, with players being required to be proactive in their methods. To further this goal, Bloodborne will not allow players to block blows and in fact will feature no armour at all, which the studio claims is appropriate for the setting.

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Bloodborne

Additionally health can be regained during a fight by counter-attacking within a certain time period, once again forcing players to take the offensive. To aid this the game will feature firearms, though Miyazaki has been quick to state that Bloodborne will not be a shooter and that ranged weapons, as was true for the age, will only become effective at short distances, allowing players to stun foes before moving in for the kill. As for the melee weapons, the trailers have a shown a few unusual choices including a saw that for all intents looks like an oversized straight razor and sword that has the ability to become a chain. In fact all weapons will be capable of transforming into a different state, allowing tactics to be adaptable to the situation at hand. One of the main questions that many will have is whether these changes to From Softwareâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s past works will have an impact on Bloodborneâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s

difficulty, and fans of self-inflicted torture will be delighted to hear that the answer is no. Death will still be treated as a mechanic rather than a fail state, and players can expect to experience it often. While this might sound ludicrous to gamers who have never touched a Souls game, there are two ideas at work here, the first being that every death is an opportunity to learn from, and secondly the joy of overcoming an obstacle is far greater when the challenge is genuine. Make no mistake, if past experiences are anything to go by Bloodborne will do its utmost to kill you time and again, but when you come back you will be wiser to its tricks, and the ecstasy of conquering a hurdle is all the more sweeter for it. From grunts to gigantic boss fights, nothing will just lie down and die for you, and perseverance will be the order of the day. You are the hunter though, and now soon it will be time to study your prey. g

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E M W A IE G EV R

The Order: 18 GAMING

The Order: 1886

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The Order: 1886

886

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sit well, you end up with a game that either feels great but looks awful, or you get a title that is all style over substance. This latter case is exactly what happened with The Order: 1886. Developers Ready At Dawn got one thing right – this is a game that looks and sounds awesome. The settings, being a steam-punky version of Victorian London, is pitch perfect, a great mixture of grime and smog that feels almost as though this place could really have existed in exactly this way. Populating it are a host of beautifully handled characters that look not only convincing, but perfectly in place in this setting. These include some famous faces, too, like Nicolai Tesla and a number of others who students of history may well recognise. And at the core of those characters are the four main heroes of the title… these characters show a great level of individuality,

GAMING

ew console hardware – and let’s be honest, the PlayStation 4 is still new – opens up a lot of possibilities for game developers. And one thing that the PS4 has brought with it is the potential for a greater degree of graphical fidelity. Here’s a platform that allows developers to squeeze all kinds of eye-candy into a game, including things like seamless transitions between game-action and cut-scenes, excellent character animation, highly detailed character models and settings, and much more. I’ll not deny it – graphics are important. Very important. But I still maintain – and always will – that they can only be part of the experience; other elements are equally important, not least of which are the dynamics of the game. The “game play”, to use a term that I detest. So when the balance between these elements doesn’t

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The Order: 1886

and are absolutely beautifully portrayed, both in terms of visuals and voice acting. These characters are members of a not-so-secret organisation called The Order. Initially created by the legendary King Arthur, the Knights of The Order still meet at his fabled Round Table, and are tasked with keeping humanity safe from a predatory group of lycanthropic half-breeds. These werewolf-like shape shifters prey on humanity, but their incursion are usually less noticeable. However, when a group of rebels surfaces in London, protesting the draconian government and their iron fist (The Order, that is) things start getting out of shape pretty quickly. It is the player who must unravel the mystery, in the form of the centuries old Sir Galahad (so named because the Knights of the Order pass their name down to their successor, and so old because the lives of the Knights

are lengthened by the use of a mysterious, curative substance called black water). This is the premise of a rather interesting story that is well told. But from this stems the first problem that The Order: 1886 encounters. It wants to tell that story, and it will sacrifice principles of modern game design to do so. One of the things that players shy away from these days are tightly scripted, linear experiences, and that is exactly what The Order: 1886 delivers. It feels, more often than not, like a well-crafted interactive movie, rather than a video game, and certain sections will have the player doing things that could be considered unnecessary, purely to create a higher level of engagement in what would otherwise be very lengthy cut scenes. Requiring the player to walk, for example, from one area to another (without the hope of exploration or action) seems like extra padding, rather than

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place in video games, they are also an old-fashioned idea, and are more of that possibly unnecessary padding. This is particularly true here, because The Order uses them far too often. They come up in boss fights which, to be fair, makes for a great sense of drama and urgency, but they also arrive in other places where they are less welcome. And sometimes the controls feel just a little too sluggish to effectively work through them smoothly. And then there is the combat. Because of it’s strict, linear nature, the player will run into that old-fashioned idea of “open space with cover means a fight” time and again. That’s a little disturbing in this day and age, and it leaves the game with a distinctly p[predictable flavour. That predictability is further enhanced by the fact that some of the tougher enemies will attack in cycles. Much like a 64-bit boss. It means they can be beaten, but it also means

GAMING

a needed level of engagement. And yes, the idea of a tight narrative combining with player freedom is one that has challenged game developers for some time now, but too much sacrifice in one direction or another results in a feeling that is either entirely too loose (in the case of too much freedom) or rather anachronistic (in the case of tight control over player actions). The Order falls into the latter category, and while it does allow for small amounts of freedom (particularly in combat situations) there simply isn’t enough exploration and activity potential to make it more enticing as a video game. In keeping with the whole movie feel (which, it must be said, had an extremely positive impact on the presentation, particularly as far as changing depths of field and other visual elements) The Order is rife with quick time events. While QTEs still have something of a

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The Order: 1886

a personal experience, and more like prescribed reading. You will do it the way Ready At Dawn wanted… there is no other way. The Order: 1886 is full of great ideas, and it features a setting and presentation that is really quite remarkable. But by bogging the actual game part of it down in outdated ideas and stripping the player of all but the smallest amount of freedom, it takes a step backwards, rather than surging forward like it should have. The developers put all their eggs in the presentation basket, leaving the game dynamics to feel like an afterthought, secondary to the tale. And that, in the current video game market, simply doesn’t cut it. It’s sad, really, because the potential that The Order: 1886 brings with it was entirely scuppered by ideas that the developers should have known were bad choices. g

AT A GLANCE Action

REVIEWED BY

The Order: 1886 is all about style over substance – it looks awesome, but the game dynamics went out of style years ago.

Developer: Publisher: Distributer:

Ready At Dawn SCEE Ster Kinekor

PARENTAL ADVISORY

18+ gamecca69

Violence Language Sex Drug Use Prejudice

ACCESSIBILITY

Hard-Core Medium Casual

PS4 PLATFORMS

GENRE

PC X360 X0 PS3 PS4 Wii U PSV 3DS AND iOS

Score

67 45

by Walt Pretorius

that they have overly predictable cycles that diminish the challenge they pose. Other combat, in which the player is armed with a host of weapons including the lightning throwing Arc Gun and the Thermite Gun, which charged the desired area with a flammable gas that the player can ignite, becomes text-book after a short while. It’s a generic pop-and-drop shooter, when all is said and done, and even if some fights are a lot more challenging than others, they all bear that same feel. And then there’s the fact that the game allows for no player controlled character progression, or upgrading. Had the player ben able to at least change Sir Galahad’s abilities, it might have mitigated a few of the game dynamic issues that The Order: 1886 presents. But everything is simply too tightly controlled by the developers. It is less of

E M W A IE G EV R

Monster Hunter 4 Ultimate GAMING

The bigger they are, the harder they are to beat! 46

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GENRE PLATFORMS

13+

Capcom Nintendo Core Group

Violence Language Sex Drug Use Prejudice

ACCESSIBILITY Hard-Core Medium Casual

Score

AT A GLANCE

PARENTAL ADVISORY

REVIEWED ON

PC X360 X0 PS3 PS4 Wii U PSV 3DS AND iOS

by Nthato Morakabi

Being a hunter is more than just wielding a large weapon and dragging fancy armor, as Monster Hunter 4 Ultimate is sure to teach you.

Developer: Publisher: Distributer:

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Action Adventure

3DS

accompanied by a Palicoe, which is a feline companion chock-full of cat jokes, who assists during missions. The variety of content each quest offers displays the various gameplay aspects that will help you become a better hunter and gather invaluable drops as you progress through the quests. These include sneaking, evading and the ability to mount large monsters as a way to take them down for an easier kill. One helpful thing which has been added to MH4U, is the option of completing a mission with a sub-quest, useful when the quest is just too difficult or time is running out or you just want to get over that quest quickly. The amazing cut scenes still give me chills; filled with action, the typical CAPCOM humour they are so fond of – a rather amazing feat considering the fact that the characters never speak in anything less than grunts and exclamations and exaggerated gestures. The online mode allows you to pick up when another player is nearby who is able to join you on the quests found at the Gathering Hall – the newest addition to the Monster Hunter series. Here you are able to take low-level or high-level quests separate from the main quest line, as well as take part in the Arena. The Arena is all about taking down monsters as fast as possible all for the glory of ranking on the global leaderboard. Hunters for hire is a multiplayer mode in which you task other players with a quest to complete for you and visa-versa. Overall, MH4U is a grand title giving enough action and a certain level frustration requiring strategy, planning, grinding and exploring all in the quest to become the ultimate monster hunter. g

Monster Hunter 4 Ultimate

he desert sand stretches out across the horizon as the scorching heat scalds your barely dressed skin. The craft you travel on is able to sweep over the sunburnt granules like a ship in water. The man at the fore steers the vessel with a jovial laugh and enough dry humour to dehydrate the rolling dunes. You are a hunter, well you hope to be a hunter and the land ahead is where hunter dreams are made. But this isn’t the ordinary hunt for rabbits and gazelle, and the reptilian monster sweeping out of the desert sand, over the ship to temporarily blot out the sun, confirms the magnitude of the task at hand. This is no ordinary hunt; this is Monster Hunter 4 Ultimate. The premise is simple; you are a hunter seeking the glory, fame and exhilarating experience of hunting down monstrous fiends roaming the unexplored lands. As the game progresses, a story begins to unfold and it’s no longer just about becoming the best hunter. Very much like its predecessor, MH4U is camera-view reliant and the Circle Pad Pro is a helpful tool when taking down pesky Jaggai who are as relentless as they are cruel. The function to immediately sweep the camera towards one of the large scale monsters is very useful, however the same would be fantastic when targeting any other monster. Sweeping your thumb across the directional pad on the touch screen to rotate views can at times be a hassle, especially with fast moving enemies or when surrounded. The quests ease you into the game and pick up fast enough that you are facing real Jurassic monsters within a couple of quests rather than herb and mushroom hunting your way to boredom. You are also

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Evolve GAMING

Beating the beastâ&#x20AC;Ś

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Evolve

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asymmetrical multiplayer. It’s much simpler to take a 4v4 game, or any other game that has the same kinds of numbers on both sides, and balance it properly. But when you’re dealing with 4V1, things get a lot trickier. To this end, Evolve does things rather well. But let’s not get ahead of ourselves; first, let’s look at the setting that makes this kind of game dynamic possible in the first place. The planet Shear is plagued by lots of dangerous wildlife, but the worst of these are behemothic monsters that roam the landscape, preying on human settlers and destroying their facilities. The situation is so bad, in fact, that Shear is being evacuated. But just because the humans are leaving doesn’t mean that the monsters are backing down. Covering their escape is vital, and to this end, teams of hunters are dispatched

GAMING

ultiplayer gaming has become the bread and butter for many a franchise, so much so that sometimes games appear in which this concept reigns supreme. But in the see of combat shooters that require players to fight off other players, standing out can be a bit of a task. However, Turtle Rock’s Evolve is a game that not only manages to cast a very different light on the idea of multiplayer gaming, it does so with tons of style and forethought. It does bear mentioning that there were a lot of mixed feelings coming out of Evolve’s Beta. Many felt that the premise of the game was unbalanced and flawed, but the time between the Beta and the final product has definitely seen the game change for the better. What sets Evolve apart is that it effectively makes use of an idea that can be extremely tricky:

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Evolve

to the planet’s surface to fight off the monsters while the survivors escape. And here lies the core of the game’s idea. Four players take on the role of hunters, while a fifth player controls the monster they are after. In essence it’s a good idea, but the potential pitfalls are many. However, Turtle Rock made sure that the game worked by adding elements to each party that make things a little less simple. Let’s look at the monster first: this creature, of which there are three varieties that get unlocked as the player progresses, lends the game its title. By feeding on wildlife to be found on the lush and expansive maps, the monster not only heals itself, but it gains points towards evolving into a bigger, meaner killing machine. A stage one monster is pretty easy to take down, but a creature that has reached stage three is almost unstoppable. Each stage

of evolution gives the monster new or more powerful abilities. The player controlling the monster will need to make use of all the creatures’ abilities – like climbing, sneaking and sniffing out prey – to progress, while being careful not to give the hunters too many clues to its location early on. These clues include things like birds scared into flight and other tell-tale signs. On the other side of the fight we have the hunters. This four member team has four distinct roles, in the form of the hunter (who supplies the heavy fire power) the medic (who heals the hunters and weakens the monster) the trapper (who slows the monster down and provides barriers to its movement) and the support specialist (who buffs hunter armour and supplies some tremendously heavy fire power). Each team is comprised of these four – players cannot elect to

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and complex, with wildlife and plant-life aplenty. The terrains are generally rough and inhospitable, making each of the massive levels another important element in each sideâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s quest for victory. Evolve offers numerous game modes, like standard hunts or defence missions, even rescue missions in which hunters needs to rescue survivors before the monster gets to them. Players can also engage in minicampaigns, which will string a number of these different modes together. Whoever wins each mission will find benefits in the following one, creating a longer game in which success and failure have palpable effects on the ongoing game. It would have been great, though, if the game featured a stronger single player element. Many shooters still use the single player idea to draw people in,

GAMING

have a team made up of four hunters, for example. The careful balance needs to be maintained by the players. A team in which just one of these roles is ineffectively handled is on the back foot against the monster, making team communication and persistent co-operation crucial to success. The end result is a game that is surprisingly tactical, well balanced and lots of fun to play, if multiplayer is your thing. There is a single player aspect to the game, but the only difference here is that roles not filled in by players are controlled by very skilful and clever bots. On the upside, playing the single player game will help the player progress and unlock new elements in the multiplayer mode tooâ&#x20AC;Ś progress is perpetual in Evolve. The setting is the sixth star of the show; Shear is rich

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Evolve

This game certainly won’t be everyone’s cup of tea. If multiplayer isn’t your thing, then Evolve is one to avoid. But if you enjoy co-operative and competitive play, and think the idea of an asymmetrical approach is really cool, then there is nothing you’d rather want to be playing. Turtle Rock have done an excellent job in creating a game that rewards clever, strategic play, and they have gone a long way to showing us all that multiplayer gaming doesn’t always need to be what appears to be a fair fight off the bat. A campaign for those who enjoy single player gaming, or even a plot that was a little deeper than what Evolve presents would have been great additions to the game, but even without those elements, Evolve serves as a great option for the ever growing online multiplayer community. g

AT A GLANCE Multiplayer Action

With a well-balanced 4v1 model, Evolve manages to bring something fresh to multiplayer gaming.

Developer: Publisher: Distributer:

Turtle Rock 2K Games Megarom

PARENTAL ADVISORY

16+ gamecca69

Violence Language Sex Drug Use Prejudice

ACCESSIBILITY

Hard-Core Medium Casual

REVIEWED BY

x360 PLATFORMS

GENRE

PC X360 X0 PS3 PS4 Wii U PSV 3DS AND iOS

Score

82 53

by Walt Pretorius

and Evolve would have benefitted from single player gaming that wasn’t merely a bot-controlled clone of the multiplayer action. Additionally, even though it has great presentation, Evolve has the most basic of plots… inclusion of a single player campaign could have made the game intriguing as well as lots of fun. With good graphics and a decent control set, not to mention entertaining voice acting and a very solid concept, Evolve has a lot going for it. The downside to the game is that progression is slow, and until the player has unlocked numerous new characters and elements in the game, its full potential is a little stunted. It may take a long time to get those unlocks, as the player needs to jump through various hoops ingame to achieve them. But as more becomes available to the player, Evolve gets even better.

E M W A IE G EV R

Rogue Legac

GAMING

The Next in Line…

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Rogue Legacy

by Alex Scanlon

AT A GLANCE GENRE

Rogue-like

REVIEWED BY

While not strictly a rogue-like game, Rogue Legacy is full of fun and adventure none the less... not to mention challenges.

Developer: Publisher: Distributer:

Cellar Door Games PSN PSN

PARENTAL ADVISORY

12+ gamecca69

Violence Language Sex Drug Use Prejudice

ACCESSIBILITY

Hard-Core Medium Casual

PSV PLATFORMS

alling Rogue Legacy a rogue-like game is only partially accurate. When the character you are currently using dies, he is well and truly dead, just as in a true rogue-like game. But, unlike those utterly frustrating titles, Rogue Legacy lives up to the “legacy” part of its name by letting subsequent characters – who are the descendants of the guy who just bought it – carry traits and unlocks over from their forebears. It’s like perma-death with perma-progress thrown in, making Rogue Legacy less challenging than your average rogue-like title, but also less frustrating. It’s not just a straight line through the ages, though. Each character death lets the player choose one of three descendants to carry on the quest started by their forebears. These come in a variety of classes, like mages and assassins and barbarians, with more classes unlocked as the player progresses. Each character also has buffs and disadvantages. Some can affect the game – like a colour blind character will see the game go black and white. Others are there for “decorative purposes” and have no real impact on the game. Classes can also be maxed out, provided the player can gather enough money. Until the player is able to buy the right skill, all the player’s money is lost every time they re-enter the castle they must explore. After time, this loss is reduced to percentages, but with money being the only way to build characters, it can still be a pretty daunting task to build up that legacy. Rogue Legacy is a great cross-sell across PS4, PS3 and PS Vita, with cross saving meaning that you can progress the game no matter what platform you use at the time. And it’s massively addictive, too. g

PC X360 X0 PS3 PS4 Wii U PSV 3DS AND iOS

Score

80 55

E M W A IE G EV R

Dying Light GAMING

Reasons to be afraid of the darkâ&#x20AC;Ś

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Dying Light

â&#x20AC;Ś

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development, and to jump ship to publishers Warner Bros. The result of their latest efforts is Dying Light, a sprawling free-roaming adventure in which the zombies are plentiful, the weapons are crazy and daylight is the playerâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s best friend. The premise and plot are relatively simple. The fictional city of Harran (which has no bearing on the small village of Harran in Norway) has been quarantined after a brutal virus left most of the population as mindless zombies. Although no proper geographical location is given, Harran has a distinctly Middle Eastern feel to it, complete with the accents of NPCs (as well as their names) and the fact that the snacks the player will find lying around (which, like in Dead Island, provide health boosts) are things like halva and baklava. The playerâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s character, Kyle Crane, a freelance operative

GAMING

here are a number of ideas within the overall horror genre that will remain popular forever, it seems, and currently the arguably most popular of these is the idea that people can die, and then come back in the form of shambling, famished undead that prey on the living in a mindless pursuit to satisfy their unnatural hunger. Or, more simply put, zombies are cool. Developer Techland has spent some time riding the zombie bandwagon, which has been spurred on by movies, TV series and books including the likes of World War Z and The Walking Dead. Everyone seems to be keen on zombies these days, and Techland has taken full advantage. Although their first attempts at first person zombie smashing, in the form of the Dead Island games, came with numerous warts, the titles did well enough to spur Techland on to further, more ambitious

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Dying Light

for an organisation known as the GRE, is sent into Harran to recover stolen files that contain a spurious cure for the virus before they are released to the world. But pretty much from the word go, nothing goes as planned, and Crane finds himself fighting for his own survival through a long story quest, peppered with numerous side quests and lots of exploration â&#x20AC;&#x201C; not to mention copious zombie slaying. Traversing the cityscape is part of the fun that Dying Light has to offer. It makes use of a parkour system that will see the player scaling building and making death defying leaps all over the place. The first person perspective and slightly odd control assignments necessitate an early, steep learning curve as far as this goes. Combined with the fact that, for the first while at least, Crane is something of a wimp when it comes to fighting, the first

while that the player spends in Harran may prove a little frustrating. But perseverance is rewarded, and soon Crane will be leaping about and lacerating undead with the best of them. Harran really is a massive playground, and there is a lot to do, even just from an exploration point of view. Scavenging parts and goods is vital in this game, and so the player will likely want to spend quite a bit of time exploring, digging through rubbish bins, picking locks and finding stuff needed to help construct modified weapons. Like Dead Island, Dying Light relies on blueprints for modified weapons to help the player set about the business of zombie-bashing more effectively, but this game allows construction and modification of those weapons on the fly, rather than at a workstation. Weapons can also be repaired a number of times,

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when a large group of zombies moves towards the noise, if the player has a Molotov cocktail at the ready. Mass zombie barbeques provide a fair amount of experience. Player progression takes place on three levels, which are basically combat skills, movement skills and overall survivor skills. Each set earns experience independent of the others, so doing a lot of fighting but not a lot of parkour will mean that the player might have monstrous fighting abilities, but will suck at scaling walls. It’s a system that smartly rewards individual play styles. And then there’s the concept that the game draws its name from; when the sun goes down, the zombies get tougher, and other, more powerful zombies show up. The focus of the game shifts palpably at night, moving from an action adventure to a tense stealth affair. This adds a whole new element to the game which brings a lot

GAMING

which adds a little longevity to the player’s favourite implements of undead destruction, and further modifications (which are rare, but valuable) can be tacked on to improve things like damage, durability and ease of use. The game places an extremely strong emphasis on melee combat. In fact, firearms (unless used against human opponents, which also exist in Harran) are almost pointless. Worst of all, their noise attracts the undead, including the more vicious, smarter, morerecently-infected Virals. That can be an advantage, though… players are provided with potential for interesting ways to get rid of zombies. Fire-crackers, for example, are a great way to attract attention to a given spot, allowing the player to clear areas and slip through. But they also work well

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Dying Light

doesn’t these days) the overall effect of Dying Light is one of great satisfaction. This is a game that will keep you going for many, many hours, even if the plot is a little thin. The real stars here are the weapons, the environment, the experience system and the sheer freedom that it offers the player… adding all these things together, and combining them with challenging zombies that don’t feel like the same enemy over and over again, as well as providing the player with all the tools for inventive play, make Dying Light a game that is well worth experiencing. You’ll need to look past a few small problems here and there, and possible a cheap death or two, but the game is generally forgiving and extremely enticing, making the few problems that it does have pale in comparison to the fun that can be squeezed out of doing battle with the undead in the streets of Harran. g

AT A GLANCE First Person Adventure

Dying Light is tons of fun, with a great setting and clever systems that make it’s weaker points seem less significant.

Developer: Publisher: Distributer:

Techland Warner Bros Ster Kinekor

PARENTAL ADVISORY

18+ gamecca69

Violence Language Sex Drug Use Prejudice

ACCESSIBILITY

Hard-Core Medium Casual

REVIEWED BY

PS4 PLATFORMS

GENRE

PC X360 X0 PS3 PS4 Wii U PSV 3DS AND iOS

Score

89 61

by Walt Pretorius

of tension into the mix, making Dying Light even more enjoyable. And, of course, there is co-operative multiplayer, which changes the feel of the game rather significantly, and adds even more depth to the experience. Close cooperation between players can truly enhance the feel of the title, although going solo – being the lone wolf and taking this very dangerous world on by yourself – still hold a lot of appeal, too. In the end, Dying Light is in many ways a spiritual successor to Dead Island (a full sequel of which, under different developers, is due later this year). The game feels very similar to Techland’s previous efforts, but smarter ideas (like on the fly crafting and the split experience system) make Dying Light its own beast. And while it has a few warts (it’s difficult to find a game that

E M W A IE G EV R

Saint’s Row IV Re-Elected & Gat Out of He GAMING

More chaos, more crazy…

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Saint’s Row IV: Re-Elected & Gat out of Hell

GENRE

It’s as crazy as

by Rob Edwards

ever, but now it’s remastered and comes with extra

PARENTAL ADVISORY Violence Language Sex Drug Use Prejudice

18+ ACCESSIBILITY Hard-Core Medium Casual

Score

AT A GLANCE

PC X360 X0 PS3 PS4 Wii U PSV 3DS AND iOS

REVIEWED ON

PLATFORMS

stuff.

Volition Deep Silver Apex Interactive

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Action

Developer: Publisher: Distributer:

ell

IV). Unlike other Saint’s Row titles, Gat Out of Hell does not allow for massive customisation or character creation – you take on Hades as Johnny Gat, pure and simple. Armed with Lucifer’s lost halo, Gat gains a whole bunch of powers that are reminiscent of Saint’s Row IV, in which the player’s character became something of a super-hero. These powers include actual flight, which feels a lot better than the gliding of Saint’s Row IV. Another difference is the approach to the way the game is played. Instead of massive, sprawling missions, Gat Out of Hell presents the player with what feels like a whole bunch of side quests, helping out famous historical figures in order to build up the power to take on Satan himself. Gat Out of Hell is a lot of fun, if the Saint’s Row IV feel appeals to you. It’s setting – Hell, obviously – feels suspiciously like a reskinned Steelport, the location that Saint’s Row IV took place in. Whether this is commentary or laziness is unclear, but it feel appropriate to the game when all is said and done, and allows for a fair amount of exploration. When it comes to valuefor-money, Saint’s Row IV: Re-Elected is the main core of the experience, providing the player with a good, long game. Gat Out of Hell is the icing on the cake, with a shorter but very enjoyable additional adventure. The included DLC has the least impact of all, but still makes for fun if you’re into the main ideas behind Saint’s Row IV. This release isn’t for everyone - Saint’s Row IV really is a matter of taste. If you enjoy the insane chaos that it has to offer, you will undoubtedly get a kick out of this rerelease and it’s bonuses. g

aint’s Row took a little while to find its feet and to stop being accused of being a GTA clone. To that end, developer Volition took the franchise in a direction that simply got crazier and crazier. The culmination was Saint’s Row IV, a game that was so off the wall it almost defied description. It’s initial release was not all that long before the PS4 and Xbox One hit the market, but it still missed release on those platforms… until now, that is. Deep Silver have seen fit to rerelease Saint’s Row IV for the newer hardware, in the guise of Saint’s Row IV: Re-Elected. And then, just for kicks, apparently, they included a stand-alone expansion in the mix as well, in the form of Saint’s Row: Gat Out of Hell. In short, if you get hold of the next gen version of Saint’s Row IV, you get a whole lot of gaming for your money. You just don’t get much sanity. The craziness of Saint’s Row IV has been remastered for Re-Elected, although the effect of reworking the visuals is not always really apparent. There is improvement here, but it seems a little slighter than it should be. Still, if you’re into irreverent fun crammed with humour that often descends below the belt, and you like your gaming experience to be more than a little nuts, Saint’s Row IV: Re-Elected is a good bet. Aside from including all the previously released DLC, there really isn’t anything much new in the title. If you played Saint’s Row IV before, you’re not going to be in for any surprises. Until, that is, you start up Gat Out of Hell. This short, stand-alone expansion sees Johnny Gat and Kinzie Kensington descending into the depths of hell to rescue the President (basically your character from Saint’s Row

E M W A IE G EV R

Terraria GAMING

Digging itâ&#x20AC;Ś

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Terraria

by Alex Scanlon

inecraft made a massive splash when it first arrived, and it continues to be a wildly popular game. Because of this popularity, it’s easy to accuse a game like Terraria of being a Minecraft clone… but there are few differences that set this unassuming yet remarkable title apart from Minecraft. The most obvious difference is that Terraria is a 2D game, using a side scrolling system for exploration and resource harvesting. While these elements may make it seem more of a clone, Terraria takes combat and character customisation far more seriously than Minecraft ever did. Making it feel a bit more like an adventure than a worldbuilder. Additionally, most resources are to be found under the ground, so mining is more important here. Terraria feels tedious at times, as harvesting of materials is a time consuming task. But it is vital, simply because the only way you’re going to get anywhere in the game is by making stuff at the crafting tables in your house – which you need to build for yourself, too. The game employs a day-night cycle that will see more powerful enemies roaming the landscape after dark, and most savvy players will be safely indoors, crafting and going over inventory lists when the sun goes down. The massive, randomly generated worlds, complex game nature, vast amount of enemies and craftable objects and general feel of Terraria add up to make a game that is thoroughly addictive. It certainly won’t be everyone’s cup of tea. But there will be a great many people who are drawn to the high degree of expression that Terraria allows for. It’s addictive, and creates a real sense of achievement for players who achieve goals that they set for themselves. g

AT A GLANCE GENRE

World Building

Developer: Publisher: Distributer:

Re-Logic 505 Games Apex Interactive

PARENTAL ADVISORY

12+ gamecca69

Violence Language Sex Drug Use Prejudice

PS4 PLATFORMS

Terraria may look like a Minecraft clone, but there is a lot that distinguishes it.

REVIEWED BY

ACCESSIBILITY

Hard-Core Medium Casual

PC X360 X0 PS3 PS4 Wii U PSV 3DS AND iOS

Score

80 65

E M W A IE G EV R

Legend of Zelda: Majora’s Mask The Mask meets Groundhog Day

Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time, with the events occurring in Majora’s Mask forcing Link into having to redo the three days preceding an inevitable battle against the devious Skull Kid and a menacing moon falling towards the town Link must save. With time as the main factor in the series, you become reliant on the famous Ocarina which Princess Zelda has given Link. You are constantly reminded of the impending doom as the people’s actions, thoughts and movements are affected by the ever descending moon and this can be quite nerve-wrecking when you realize how quickly that time bar moves. This affects the quests, conversations and event triggers which is why the Ocarina comes in handy as you learn a variety of songs, each song able to do various things such as fast-forward time, slow down time or even rewind time back to that crucial first day.

GAMING

he soothing sounds of the Ocarina permeate the air, memories of the Princess flit across the young hero’s mind as he reminisces of days past. However the music must be cut short, in fact time itself is short for the land of Temeria. Link, the hero who always happens to be at the right place at the wrong time, must rise once again to thwart the evil that threatens the land. Equipped with the melodious magic of the Ocarina as well as powerful masks that are scattered across the lands, Link must prevent an ancient evil in a race against time and a falling moon. The Legend of Zelda series is well loved by fans of the green clothed hero, who has been going for over a decade, and it is no surprise that remakes on Nintendo’s popular handheld console are being developed. This latest instalment follows after the

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Legend of Zelda: Majora’s Mask

as the depth creates that feel of immersion. The game mechanics are simple and easy to get used to. Classic bush whacking and pot breaking for Rupees and the sometimes very necessary life hearts, is still there as well as typical sword actions such as the sweeping blade. The mask transformations give your attacks that match the transformation such and switching between them all can be a fun exercise for completing quests and solving puzzles. Each of the gameplay mechanics are purposeful and seen best during the memorable moments during the epic boss battles. Overall, Majoras Mask is a wonderful addition to the remakes series running on the 3DS and an enjoyable title that is both easy enough to get into and still fun enough to want to play through. g

AT A GLANCE Action Adventure

The hero Link is in a race against time, a nightmarish moon bringing impending doom and the ancient evil of the Majora’s Mask.

Developer: Publisher: Distributer:

Nintendo Nintendo Core Group

PARENTAL ADVISORY

10+ gamecca69

Violence Language Sex Drug Use Prejudice

ACCESSIBILITY

Hard-Core Medium Casual

REVIEWED BY

3DS PLATFORMS

GENRE

PC X360 X0 PS3 PS4 Wii U PSV 3DS AND iOS

Score

75 67

by Nthato Morakabi

Part of the story unfolding in Majora’s Mask lies in the very item mentioned in the title’s name. The Skull Kid has stolen the Majora’s Mask and its ancient magic has bestowed on him tremendous power. Thankfully, as Link you too have access to a set of masks assisting you in the various quests and very importantly when completing the four main quests leading towards that final battle. The quirky animations and sound were very reminiscent of the film, The Mask, in which you truly see that transformation come to life whether Deku or Zora. Visually, Majoras Mask is a beaut. The world is wonderfully rendered, textures clear and the world is alive as it is dangerous. The character models have been refined, and various environmental aspects made to work superbly such as water rippling when you bounce atop it. Playing the title in full 3D becomes even more impressive

With great, thoughtful presentation and game dynamics that exceed the norm for its genre, Apotheon can be a rewarding and engrossing experience.

Action Platformer

REVIEWED ON

PS4 PC X360 X0 PS3 PS4 Wii U PSV 3DS AND iOS

GENRE

AT A GLANCE

GAMING Bound of flame

At war with Olympus

PLATFORMS

Developer: Publisher: Distributer:

Alientrap PSN PSN

PARENTAL ADVISORY

16+ gamecca69

Violence Language Sex Drug Use Prejudice

ACCESSIBILITY Hard-Core Medium Casual

Score

Apotheon

by Walt Pretorius

aying for a service like PSN Plus has its upsides, some of which are not immediately apparent. This includes the release of numerous games each month that can be downloaded and played for free. Not only does it do a lot to quiet down the grumbling of those who don’t like the idea of forking over cash to play console games online, but it also opens the doors for a number of indie developers, who’s games tend to be the bread-and-butter of this offering. Apotheon is such a game, and it comes in as a quality title that makes payment for gaming seem a little less of a grudge purchase. The player takes on the role of Nikandreos, a resident of the Greek village of Dion. This settlement has earned the ire of Zeus, chief of the Olympian gods, and is undergoing all kinds of strife. Hera, Zeus’ wife, colludes with Nikandreos, and the hero takes on a quest to scale Mount Olympus and set everything right. Apotheon is a side scrolling action title, along the lines of a complex platform game. It features well thought out combat and a degree of customisation, including new weapons and armour that can be found during the player’s travels. It encourages and rewards exploration and creative thinking – even some of the boss fights are less about combat and more about solving puzzles. But the real joy of Apotheon is its presentation, which borrows very heavily from ancient Greek art. That, combined with great music, makes for a game that is very appealing to the senses. While Apotheon does have one or two minor quirks, it is well worth the effort, and makes for an engrossing and rewarding experience overall. g

Apotheon

E M W A IE G EV R

REVIEWED ON Kick & Fennick introduces some fresh ideas to a very full genre, but manages to be very frustrating thanks to being unforgiving.

Platform

PSV PC X360 X0 PS3 PS4 Wii U PSV 3DS AND iOS

GAMING

GENRE

AT A GLANCE

Up, up and away!

PLATFORMS

Developer: Publisher: Distributer:

Jaywalkers PSN PSN

PARENTAL ADVISORY

7+ gamecca69

Violence Language Sex Drug Use Prejudice

ACCESSIBILITY Hard-Core Medium Casual

Score

Kick & Fennick

72 69

by Alex Scanlon

he platform genre is, largely due to the fact that it has been around for so long, pretty much saturated. But there are an increased number of platform games coming out these days because, thanks to services like PSN giving support to indie developers, there are tons of new studios churning out platform games. Kick & Fennick is such a game, but it manages to move away from the run-of-the-mill platform fare, presenting the player with a degree of freshness within the genre. It’s elements might not be completely original – we have seen bounce pads and portals before, after all – but the way the game plays out is pretty unique within the platform sphere. This PS Vita exclusive sees the player take on the role of Kick, a kid who befriends a damaged Robot, Fennick. Together they undertake a grand adventure through a futuristic world. Kick is armed with a rifle, but this weapon isn’t for fighting enemies; it is used to boost Kick into the air. The result is a fascinating game that relies of the player’s sense of geometry and spacing more than blasting enemies, and as such it becomes a very fresh addition to the platforming genre. But first time developers Jaywalkers Interactive could have been a little kinder to the player. Kick and Fennick can be extremely unforgiving, and multiple retries of challenging levels get to be frustrating. More generous life replenishment and a kinder checkpointing system would have benefitted this game greatly. As it stands, Kick & Fennick is still a lot of fun, even if the player is going to spend a lot of time swearing at the Vita’s screen. But with that frustration comes a great sense of accomplishment when getting through tougher areas. g

Kick & Fennick

e m w a ie G v e R

E M W A IE G EV R

Don Bradman Cricket Swing and a miss

first released for Xbox 360 – it has now made it turn onto the Xbox One. If you have play the Xbox 360 version, nothing has really changed between the previous version and the Xbox One iteration. For starters, when you first fire up the game you are immediately asked if you would like to import custom players created by others into the full games roster, as this title doesn’t have the licensing for real names and real teams. That already raises a red flag with me, if you asked the community to actually contribute to make the game somewhat better. But when all is said and done and the update has completed, you can at least play with the current rosters of all 79 teams. Right, let’s get onto the mechanics…

GAMING

ricket is one of the most loved sports in South Africa and there isn’t a year that goes by that we don’t berate, celebrate or dispensing advice to our beloved Proteas. But there is one thing in this world game developers just simply cannot get right: develop a successful cricket game. It seems like a strange thing, as Electronic Arts can make games like American football, baseball and even ice hockey, and get the precision down to exactly the nuances and the technicalities that one can see on the ice. But for some strange reason, cricket just seems to go completely over the heads of any developer that has ever tried to develop a game for cricket lovers. The latest studio to do so is Big Ant Studios and even though it is not a new game - Don Bradman Cricket was

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Don Bradman Cricket

to, but innovation would have gone a long way here. Batting is no different: sticks select the shot type and direction you want to aim, while the triggers determine if it is a ground stroke or a power shot. Once again we acknowledge that it’s tricky to get right, but innovation is what drives the industry. Fielding a whole different kettle of fish, and if you have about three hours to waste during the day, try it. You’ll be walking on the field with nothing to do, until the odd chance of the ball actually coming your way. Don Bradman Cricket could have been so much better, if it wasn’t for the shoddy and repetitive commentary, strange ball physics and action mechanics. But that isn’t to say that you shouldn’t grab yourself a copy. If you love cricket, you might just find enjoyment in it. It’s not the best game, but it better than the rest. g

AT A GLANCE GENRE

Sport

REVIEWED BY

Developer: Publisher: Distributer:

Big Ant Studios Tru Blu Entertainment Megarom

PARENTAL ADVISORY

3+ gamecca69

PLATFORMS

It’s not the best game on the market, but it better than the others.

Violence Language Sex Drug Use Prejudice

ACCESSIBILITY

Hard-Core Medium Casual

PC X360 X0 PS3 PS4 Wii U PSV 3DS AND iOS

Score

69 71

by Charlie Fripp

As mentioned, there is fundamentally nothing that sets the Xbox One version apart from the 360 title. When you start the game, you can choose to start a career mode which will take you through the motion of playing county cricket and then onto an international team, or if you prefer you can just play the single matches in all the modes of cricket that is available like T20, ODI, Fiveday or the English County Pro 40 league. Don Bradman Cricket has some nice ideas and tries very hard to implement them, but ultimately the title falls in the trap that cricket is an extremely complex game to get right – in terms of mechanics. To bowl a ball successfully, you have to go through this weird up-down-up motion with the analogue sticks, which control your jump height and where your foot crosses over the line. We know it’s a difficult motion to assign actions

Although it might have seemed like a great idea, Kirby Fighters Deluxe is simply too easy to be considered a good fighting game.

Fighting

REVIEWED ON

3DS PC X360 X0 PS3 PS4 Wii U PSV 3DS AND iOS

GENRE

AT A GLANCE

GAMING Bound of flame

Mash it up!

PLATFORMS

Developer: Publisher: Distributer:

HAL Labs Nintendo Core Group

PARENTAL ADVISORY

7+ gamecca69

Violence Language Sex Drug Use Prejudice

ACCESSIBILITY Hard-Core Medium Casual

Score

Kirby Fighters Deluxe

by Walt Pretorius

ometimes spinning existing, well-loved franchises in new and unusual directions simply isn’t a great idea. That’s particularly true when the spin feels half-hearted or, even worse, incomplete. The Kirby franchise was almost an instant hit with Nintendo fans, and the globular, power absorbing hero of the games struck a chord that made him very popular, very quickly. So much so that a mini-game featured in a previous title has been spun off to create a whole new kind of Kirby experience, in the form of Kirby Fighters Deluxe. In this game, up to four combatants (local only, not online for some or other reason) can take to the arena and trounce the stuffing out of each other. There is a variety of characters from the Kirby universe to choose from, including a wide selection of Kirbys, all with their own special abilities. And they do battle. The thing is that the thrill of a fighting game has been lost in translation here. The game is simply too easy, and with literally one attack button, a block button and a jump button, Kirby Fighters Deluxe degenerates into a button mashing spree devoid of the tactics and strategies that make for a great fighting game. It might make for a great way to keep the kids busy, but even youngsters may soon start to realise that the lack of depth and difficulty turns Kirby Fighters Deluxe into little more than a mindless time burner. And that’s a wasted opportunity, when all is said and done, because the developers could have done a lot more with the potential this idea brought with it. As it stands, multiplayer is all about who hits the buttons the fastest, and single player is just too easy. g

Kirby Fighters Deluxe

E M W A IE G EV R

still feels like a mini-game. It lacks depth, complexity and engagement, despite having a few charming aspects.

Rhythm

REVIEWED ON

3DS

PLATFORMS

Developer: Publisher: Distributer:

HAL Labs Nintendo Core Group

PARENTAL ADVISORY

3+ gamecca69

Violence Language Sex Drug Use Prejudice

ACCESSIBILITY Hard-Core Medium Casual

Score

This mini-game spin-off

PC X360 X0 PS3 PS4 Wii U PSV 3DS AND iOS

GAMING

GENRE

AT A GLANCE

Just one thing to do…

50 73

by Walt Pretorius

Dedede’s Drum Dash Deluxe

ertain mini-games contain such great ideas and dynamics that they may warrant becoming a game all of their own. Dedede’s Drum Dash is based on a mini-game that first appeared in Kirby: Triple Deluxe. But it needed far more work to become a full-fledged, standalone title – work that simply didn’t happen in the creation of Dedede’s Drum Dash. The result is a game that is short and, quite frankly, distressingly repetitive. So much so that it descends into the realms of boring. It is far too short, for one thing, and contains one core idea… jumping to gather coins. That’s it. And it simply isn’t enough for the game to be engrossing. A little replayability can be squeezed out of completionist attitudes and shifting difficulty levels, but even then trying to get great value out of this title is a severe stretch. There are some mitigating factors to the title, despite its almost total lack of depth. The visual presentation is great, and the sound-track is crammed with the kind of charm one would expect from a Nintendo game. These factors may tide a forgiving player over, and the quick-hit nature of the game makes it a great portable time killer, unless you’re looking for a little more stimulation than the game’s six short levels offer. Ultimately, this game should never have been released under the guise of being a full title. It feels as though it never evolved past the point of being a minigame, and certainly represents a wasted opportunity to capitalise on some decent ideas. There is a degree of satisfaction on offer here, but it certainly won’t knock your socks off. It is not broken… it just lacks substance. g

Dedede’s Drum Dash Deluxe

e m w a ie G v e R

REVIEWED ON The overall generic nature of the game isn’t mitigated by dodgy controls, bland design and an unpredictable AI.

Action

3DS PC X360 X0 PS3 PS4 Wii U PSV 3DS AND iOS

GENRE

AT A GLANCE

GAMING Bound of flame

Ironfall: Invasion

PLATFORMS

Developer: Publisher: Distributer:

VD-Dev Nintendo Core Group

PARENTAL ADVISORY

12+ gamecca69

Violence Language Sex Drug Use Prejudice

ACCESSIBILITY Hard-Core Medium Casual

Score

Ironfall: Invasion

by Walt Pretorius

ometimes things may seem like good ideas – great ideas, even – but the translation between idea and final product falls well short of the mark. That, sadly, is the case for VD-Dev’s Ironfall: Invasion, a third-person action title for the 3DS that serves more as a novelty than a great gaming experience. It’s not totally devoid of merit, mind you, but that merit needs to be searched for. On the whole, Ironfall: Invasion’s high difficulty, unimaginative game dynamic and sluggish controls (not to mention a thoroughly unpredictable AI) make for a game that is more frustrating than it should be, a title that feels more like a gimmick than anything else. The player takes on the role of an extremely vanilla warrior named Jim, armed with futuristic armour and severely underpowered weapons. Jim needs to basically save the world by killing everything that moves in a cover-based shooter that is sometimes too tough to play for its own good. On a 3DS it’s almost impossible, while on the New 3DS (with it’s extra, second “stick” control) things are a touch easier, but still by no means simple. The generic nature of the character extends into the enemies, who take far too much of a pounding before going down. Their AI is unpredictable enough to make Ironfall: Invasion almost unreasonable difficult, and Jim’s guns just don’t pack enough of a punch to enable the player too much of a fighting chance. Ironfall: Invasion offers the player levels that aren’t too badly put together, and multiplayer modes that have a few interesting ideas. But ultimately it feels like an unfinished, generic shooter that is derivative of a great many others, and it becomes something of a chore to play. g

Ironfall: Invasion

E M W A IE G EV R

Strategy

REVIEWED ON

PS4

PLATFORMS

Developer: Publisher: Distributer:

Supergianr Supergiant Online

PARENTAL ADVISORY

12+ gamecca69

Violence Language Sex Drug Use Prejudice

ACCESSIBILITY Hard-Core Medium Casual

Score

It’s a game which will see the player puzzling through the plot, and puzzling through the best ways to fight. It’s cerebral, but won’t appeal to the masses.

PC X360 X0 PS3 PS4 Wii U PSV 3DS AND iOS

GAMING

GENRE

AT A GLANCE

Putting the pieces together

79 75

by Rob Edwards

Transistor

ed is a jazz singer who has had her voice stolen. Her sword, however, an electronic looking weapon, very much has a voice, and assists her in her quest to find out what happened to her the night before – and who stole her voice. It’s an interesting, if odd, premise, and it sets the tone for what’s to follow in Transistor perfectly. But the player doesn’t even get that information right off the bat – instead, the player is required to piece together disparate snippets of information as they figure out what happened before. It’s decidedly high minded, but comes across as smarmy at times, which may annoy those who just want to get down to the action without needing to weed through the information it provides to find the true narrative. Presented as a strategic action game with a turn-based feel (allowing the player to pause the action and issue a string of orders to Red) Transistor is as much puzzle as action game. With a host of abilities and upgrades available, the player will likely spend a lot of time experimenting with different combinations, puzzling together the complex combat as they piece together the plot. Transistor is a cerebral game, and one that is rather demanding of the player at times. This could be its greatest achievement and biggest failing; it won’t appeal to the masses, but will rather set itself apart as a cult classic intended for those who want to dig into detail and don’t mind a hell of a lot of cryptic information thrown their way. The combat makes everything worth it, though, and it gets pretty compelling in the way that experimentation can lead to varied results. g

Transistor

e m w a ie G v e R

cy a eg

Legacy: D GAMING

The fall o

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Legacy: Daikatana

Daikatana

of a giant

By Lein Baart

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cy a eg

ype in modern gaming has become notorious for over-selling and under-delivering. We live in an age where games are everywhere all the time, where gaming is no longer a sideline activity confined to dark corners but a common and accepted way to spend a couple of hours, and because of this mass market appeal publishers will spend fortunes to make sure that next month’s releases will end up on your shelf. While over-hyping is as old gaming advertising itself, there are few examples more notorious than Daikatana, a game which made you John Romero’s bitch only if you actually paid money for it.

GAMING

Why was it created?

The ‘90s had seen the first-person shooter burst onto the scene, and leading the charge was the genre’s founder id Software with the likes of Wolfenstein 3D, Doom and Quake. Differences of opinion though had split the team, and in 1996 John Romero decided to depart the studio to form his own company Ion Storm, along with id Software alumnus Tom Hall. Almost immediately Ion Storm announced plans to develop a revolutionary FPS that would take players across 24 levels, with 25 weapons and 64 monsters, a huge amount of content for the time. Romero, who was at that point gaming royalty for his past work, had estimated that it would take seven months for the fledgling studio to complete, just in time for the 1997 Christmas season, and work began in haste using a licenced version of the Quake Engine. It wasn’t long until the development schedule ran into trouble however. Having failed to impress at the 1997 E3, Romero decided to port the game to then nascent Quake 2 engine, a feat that ultimately set the schedule back by over a year. While constant delays had already annoyed an eager public, Romero soon found himself in hot water

for a number of rather dubious choices. To start with the Ion Storm founder had chosen a lavish penthouse office to setup shop in (with a reported cost in the millions), and along with his taste for racing Ferraris, the playboy image soon took hold. This wasn’t helped by an ad for Daikatana which featured only the words “John Romero’s about to make you his bitch”, along with the story that his girlfriend, Stevie Case, had been hired as a level designer. Three years later the game was finally released and, despite yet another poor showing the 1999 E3, excitement for the game remained high.

Why do we care?

Daikatana was at best mediocre for its time, at worst an incompetently strung together title that seemed to actively try to piss you off. Despite a somewhat decent plot (which saw you travel to four different time periods) boring level design, useless weaponry and sub-standard graphics would have been enough to render the game a huge disappointment. However the two AI companions that you were lumped with, which had been a selling point during development, could be mostly kindly described as severely mentally handicapped, creating an infuriating experience that left the game an utter wreck. So why is Daikatana still remember amidst the multitude of other failed titles? Put simply, it was the first major release to fall, a game that had seen such extensive hype that it, along with Romero himself, became a victim of its own marketing. While part of Ion Storm would survive the launch (and later go on to release titles such as Deus Ex and Thief: Deadly Shadows), Daikatana essentially saw Romero and his Dallas branch booted from triple A development, and to this day stands as the textbook example of what happens when pride gets the better of a developer. g gamecca69

Legacy: Daikatana

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BY rAMJET

Theory of Evolution... H

Ramjet’s rantality

ere’s an interesting thought: in order to garner a full appreciation of something, do you need to have witnessed its evolution? To put that in terms that are easier to understand… can you fully appreciate, say, a smart phone if you never knew a time before smart phones, or even cell phones? If you ask me (which you probably wouldn’t , but this is my column) I think that you can never fully appreciate something until you haven’t had it. It’s easy to take things for granted if you haven’t lived without them, or witnessed their growth. And the same counts for gaming. We live in a time in which video games are nothing short of being technological marvels, but people still bitch and moan about them. Take, for example, The Order: 1886. No, it’s not the perfect game by today’s standards, but go back a decade or two, and it would be absolutely mind-blowing… even with

its flaws and poor design choices. Without that understanding, without that knowledge, you cannot truly comprehend exactly what it is that we have in this day and age. If you never played a game in which your space ship was a triangle and its weapons made silly little “boop boop” noises when fired, you cannot fathom the impressiveness of what it is that we get inundated with today. Stop rolling your eyes, kiddo. I may be old, sure, but – news flash for all you youngsters who think you know anything – age brings experience. Unless you have lived more than the five minutes that you have spent on this earth (you probably haven’t even paid rent or taxes yet) you don’t know shit from shit. Deal with it. Your experience of life is so utterly limited that you haven’t even realised that yet. OK, side-rant over. What I am trying to get at is that we have started taking these things for granted to

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such a degree that when a game is released that doesn’t live up to our lofty expectations, we throw all kinds of toys out of the cot (yes, another kid reference, get used to them) because how dare game developers not produce an awesome product for us to figure out how to steal each and every time theys it at their desks. I use “we” and “us” only to sound a little less accusatory. But I am talking about those that haven’t built up an appreciation of what it is that they have here. Spoiled kids, in other words. Its entitlement, pure and simple, and it is so brutally annoying that it makes gaming a chore, rather than the fun activity it is supposed to be. And I, for one, wish it would stop. Here’s an idea. Get an old Atari console or something like it. Play some old games. Learn. Grow. Appreciate. Get your head out of your ass. Maybe then gaming would be a little better for everyone involved. g

FeatureS 76

Staying on Top

HARDWARE Reviews 92 94 96 98 100 102 104 106 108

Turtle Beach Ear Force XO Four Xbox One Gaming Headset Turtle Beach Ear Force XO Seven Xbox One Gaming Headset Palit JetStream GeForce GTX 960 Graphics Card Genius GX Gaming Zabius Universal Gaming Headset Asus MX27A LCD Monitor Speedlink Medusa XE Stereo Gaming Headset Avexir Blitz Series 1.1 Gaming RAM Speedlink Drift O.Z. Racing Wheel Razer Seiren USB Microphone

RegularS 110 114

Internet Security

COLUMN 116

Technically Speaking

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tu a Fe

STAYING TECHNOLOGY

The New 3DS makes

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New Nintendo 3DS

by Walt Pretorius

ON TOP

all the right movesâ&#x20AC;Ś gamecca69

TECHNOLOGY

intendo is a company that has been around for a very long time, even long before they became pioneers of the video game industry. But just because a company has existed for a long time doesn’t make them infallible, or even unassailable. With companies like Atari and Sega, who also forged bravely ahead when video games were relatively new, either went under completely, or had to restructure their business to accommodate for a market that wasn’t accepting what they were doing. This is the case for Sega, of course, who abandoned console manufacturing when the frankly revolutionary DreamCast failed to grab enough attention. Nintendo went through something extremely similar… in fact, they’re still going through it. The Wii U, as great a console as it is and as full of clever ideas as it is, simply hasn’t managed to dominate the market like the original Wii did.

Perhaps it has something to do with a more casual market not seeing the need to get new hardware. Maybe it has to do with the fact that aiming a Nintendo product at more hard-core gamers makes for a difficult proposition, because Nintendo has a reputation for being more casual. Whatever the case may be, Nintendo didn’t do as well as they should have with the Wii U. A lesser company might have been severely damaged by this… but Nintendo is about more than the Wii U. Aside from owning a large number of incredibly lucrative video game properties, including the Likes of Mario, Legend of Zelda and a number of others, Nintendo produces arguably the most popular hand-held game console in the world, in the form of the 3DS. Despite valiant attempts from competitors, the 3DS has held firm as the market leader. However, Nintendo are fully aware that to retain their hold on their position, they need

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New Nintendo 3DS

to keep things fresh. The PlayStation Vita’s integration with the PS4 may give the Sony handheld a bump, and Nintendo doesn’t want that unit – or any other hand-held – to unseat the 3DS as the champion. To keep the top position, the 3DS needs to evolve. And it is that need for evolution that has resulted in the release of the New Nintendo 3DS. While it might be rather unimaginative in the name department, the New 3DS offers players a number of upgrades and tweaks that will help the device retain its status at top dog. Despite the fact that its 3D screen still remains the device to beat in the hand-held stakes, Nintendo knows that reliance on this won’t guarantee that the 3DS will remain at the top of the pile, so some new aspects have been introduced to the console to ensure that it not only remains current, but will do so for some time to come. The first major change made to the hardware

that bears mention relates directly to the 3D screen. The New 3DS uses a facial recognition system to analyse the player’s position relative to the screen, and automatically adjusts the screen performance accordingly. This means that the need to be more or less dead still while playing has all but disappeared; the New 3DS adjusts viewing angle to ensure that the 3D experience is never compromised, even if the player moves a lot during game play. Naturally the ability to adjust the degree of 3D – and even turn it off – still remains. The next major upgrade comes in the form of controls. While refinements may well have taken place, Nintendo are far more keen of the fact that they have added control options. The L and R shoulder buttons are joined by two new buttons, called ZL and ZR, set next to each existing shoulder button. More impressive, perhaps, is the C Stick that has been added to the mix. This acts

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TECHNOLOGY

as a second analogue stick, allowing greater control in certain game types. The C Stick is basically a pressure sensitive rubber nub, rather than an actual stick, and because of this using it takes a little getting used to. It doesnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t respond like a normal analogue stick when used, feeling more like the control sticks that used to appear on certain laptop models. It feels a little odd initially, but it does add a lot of options. New control buttons mean that, eventually, everyone who plays with a 3DS will have to make the shift to the New 3DS, because newer games will start utilising these control options more and more. That doesnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t mean that older games become obsolete, however. Nintendo are fully aware of the importance of backward compatibility and, as a result, all previous 3DS and DS games still work with the New 3DS. The New 3DS also features full support for the Amiibo, a series of collectible figurines

that store data and affect different games in various ways, including adding characters to games, customising characters, in-game bonus items and the like. This will see a rise in Amiibo compatible software for the New 3DS, as well as for the Wii U, which Nintendo is still valiantly working on. Other improvements include improved web surfing and video viewing, as well as customisable home menu themes. Additionally, an improved CPU means faster loading times and generally improved performance. Even better, though, is the SD card support. By popping off the base plate (using a combination of a tiny star screwdriver and the stylus) the user can access the microSD port, switching out cards as necessary. The need for removing the card to load images and music onto the New 3DS has been removed by allowing for data transfer between the New 3DS and a PC

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New Nintendo 3DS

that is on the same wireless LAN. Additionally, the New 3DS will feature cover plates that can be switched out, for extra customisation. The New 3DS comes in standard and XL varieties. While the XL version is the same in terms of upper screen size, the smaller New 3DS has a slightly larger screen than the older 3DS. This means that it is slightly larger than the older model. It does, however, feature an improved battery life, with an auto-brightness system that, if activated, will help manage battery life even more. The New 3DS is a step in the right direction for Nintendo, and will help breathe new life into the hand-held. Fans of the platform will likely be extremely excited to get their hands on one, but it does bear mentioning that the one problem the New 3DS has happens at the time of purchase… there is no charger included in the box. It’s a

sneaky move, really, to sell the charger for a unit like this separately, because this really is the only instance in the gaming – or even larger electronics market – in which a power supply is not provided with a device that needs it. But it is what Nintendo have decided to go with, so buyers need to be aware that, unless they have a charger from an older unit, they will have to buy a new one. Nintendo may have assumed that the New 3DS will be seen as an upgrade and that the majority of people purchasing it already have a charger, but it is still an extremely odd decision. However you may feel about that, the New 3DS is a good investment. Its improved performance is palpable, and the new control systems add lots of options. Additionally, the performance of the 3D screen is much improved. This new hand-held makes all the right moves for Nintendo do continue their dominance. g

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TECHNOLOGY

Ear Force

Turtle Beach 92

urtle Beach have long been known as a manufacturer of excellent headsets, and their new range for the Xbox One is no different. But there are challenges inherent in creating headsets for the new Microsoft console, simply because Microsoft chose to use a route that is more complicated than their competitors. Instead of using a sensible, USB based system, the Xbox One makes use of an audio system that is wholly reliant on the controller being involved in the mix. This means that specific hardware is required – you can’t just plug and play virtually any headset like you can with the PS4. To this end, possibly the most important thing in the Turtle Beach XO Four headset’s box is the chat adaptor. This device plugs into the base of the Xbox One’s controller, essentially turning the proprietary plug into one that can be used with 3.5mm jacks. It seems so unnecessary that this extra device is required, but it is a relatively minor infraction on Microsoft’s long list of Xbox One errors. Once the adaptor is in place, the XO Four plugs into it via 3.5mm jacks. This means, of course, that the headset is compatible with a wide range of devices, thanks to the more sensible plugs. But it must be mentioned that setting the adapter effectively balancing the game and chat audio volume levels – is not as easy as it would initially seem, and there is a little frustration to be had here. But that’s not the fault of the XO Fours. When you get things set up correctly – and hopefully the settings stay where they are supposed to – the XO Four system delivers crisp, clear audio and great quality chat, through the same headset. To this end they’re a blessing, and the clear sound, which holds steady across the whole audio spectrum, makes using headphones for Xbox One gaming a pleasure. The XO Four features generously padded over-ear cups, which house high performance 50mm neodymium drivers. The ear cups also fold flat, and the mic boom is removable, for the ultimate in comfort and configuration. The headband is also generously padded, and the overall weight is extremely comfortable, even after protracted gaming sessions. Turtle beach have done great things with their XO range of headsets. While the chat adapter is hardly their creation, this device has allowed companies like Turtle Beach to provide sensible, high quality devices to be used with a system that makes little sense to begin with. But the chat adapter, as important and enabling as it is, is also the part that will lead to the most frustration, because it simply isn’t a simple, effective solution. Still, when you get it working, you’re in for a treat with the XO Fours. g gamecca69

Xbox One Gaming Headset

H C EW E T VI E R

s…

Ma ki n

Turtle Beach Ear Force XO Four Xbox One Gaming Headset

best of e th th i g

by Walt Pretorius

AT A GLANCE: Summary

The XO Four Headset makes the best of the Xbox One’s silly audio setup, providing the user with an effective way to enjoy personal game and chat audio. Ma nuf a c t ure r: D i s t ri but e r: Onl i ne :

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T urt l e B e a c h A pe x I nt e ra c t i v e w w w . a pe xi nt . c o . z a

Tech Specs: • • • • • •

Chat adapter included 50mm neodymium drivers 3.5mm jacks Removable mic boom Compatible with other devices.

SCORE

84 93

TECHNOLOGY

Ear Force

Xbox One Gaming Headset

H C EW E T VI E R

icrosoft haven’t made it easy to find a dedicated Xbox One headset, simply because the system they use for audio is tied to proprietary plugs built into the controller. But instead of trying to rig a makeshift set-up with the included chat headset and other headphones, those who want a dedicated set of Xbox One headphones that will deliver great audio, both in terms of gaming sound and chat, need look no further than Turtle Beach’s Ear Force XO range. The XO Seven headset fills the upper echelon of the range, offering players a headset that is – apart from its connection to the Xbox One controller – wireless. Like the XO Four (also reviewed in this issue) the XO Seven plugs directly into the controller by way of a chat adapter, which makes it possible to use standard 3.5mm jacks, rather than Microsoft’s proprietary plugs. Although still wired to the controller, the headset allows for increased freedom, thanks to not connecting directly to the Xbox console. I addition, the main cable can be swapped out with a mobile friendly cable, giving the XO Seven a degree of versatility. The mic boom can also be unplugged. The XO Seven features generously padded ear-cups and headband, with the ear-cups being finished with a sound isolating memory foam covered in leatherlike material. The ear-cups deliver

Turtle Beach 94

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sound via 50mm neodymium drivers, and the audio quality is really rather excellent. The ear cups also have interchangeable face plates, with more options for individualised customisation available from Turtle Beach’s website. The audio volume and mix is handled by the included chat adapter, and this is where things can get a bit tricky. Setting the levels is not as easy as one might think, and losing connectivity or being dropped from a game may mean that you have to go through the whole rigmarole again. But this is a fault that doesn’t lie with the XO Seven headset. Rather, it is an issue that may arise from the chat adapter, and the best course of action is to make sure that you have performed all available controller updates via Xbox Live. That might not solve the problem entirely, though, and setting the levels may be a little frustrating. In the end, this is a great headset which may be hampered by associated, necessary hardware. But once you get things set, the XO Seven delivers audio clarity – both for the game and for chatting – that is truly excellent, with vibrant sound across the spectrum. It’s lightweight and comfortable, too, with a fully positionable mic boom that can be set just so, in order to deliver the best mix of comfort and performance. And a bit of experimenting will have it working with numerous other devices, too. g

Turtle Beach Ear Force XO Seven Xbox One Gaming Headset

ed Xbox 0 t a c ne di e A D . io.. Summary This is a great headset that will serve any dedicated Xbox One user really well, despite possible niggles with the included chat adapter.

Tech Specs: • • • • •

50mm drivers Sound isolating foam Removable mic boom Chat adapter included Mobile compatible

Manufacturer: Turtle Beach Distributer: Apex Interactive www.apexint.co.za

SCORE

89 gamecca69

by Walt Pretorius

AT A GLANCE:

Palit

H C EW E T VI E R

JetStream GeFo Top notch performer…

TECHNOLOGY

ithin the hardware industry there is a lot of noise; competitors constantly try to outdo each other with products that are extremely similar, building up brand awareness, and hopefully loyalty, by prompting good user experiences. And generally the people that make the most noise get the most attention. In South Africa, one particular manufacturer of graphics cards hasn’t been making a lot of noise, and yet despite that their offerings are really rather good. While brands like MSI and Asus have been doing their utmost to draw attention to their admittedly excellent products, Palit have been (locally, at least) very quiet. And yet, when put toe-to-toe with its competitor, the Palit JetStream GeForce GTX 960 is the fastest graphics card in its class. Yes, you read that correctly… despite little fanfare, this card outstrips products from other manufacturers when it comes to raw performance. That said, it runs a little warmer and a little louder than its competitors, but not at a level that is problematic. The added heat and noise are, truth be told, hardly noticeable without monitoring equipment, and shouldn’t prove to be a problem for any but the most finicky of users. In truth, the JetStream is an excellent card in the GTX 960 weight class. And it comes in at a comparatively nice price, too. Armed with 2GB of VRAM,

the JetStream GTX 960 purrs along quite beautifully when not under load. Once it takes some strain, things get a little louder, but never become invasive to the gaming experience. The cooling system is really effective, too, keeping temperatures well within safe ranges under load. Using a proprietary. Modified fan blade system, the JetStream GTX 960 features two fans that spin in opposing directions, creating a massive air-flow that is swept away thanks to optimised construction. The card also comes armed with Palit’s proprietary Thunder Master overclocking utility, which will allow users to safely and effectively overclock their JetStream GTX 960 without going too deep under the hood (unless they want to). The card, which follows a plainer aesthetic than some others in its class, yet still manages to look good, is fully 4K capable… in fact, it can run two 4K monitors at the same time, for a great graphics performance. All-in-all, this is a fantastic graphics card. Its performance is really top notch. Just because a name isn’t prominent in the territory that you find yourself inhabiting doesn’t mean that the products associated with it are poorer; this card stands testament to that. And while the competition keeps on banging drums and yelling loudly, the Palit JetStream GTX 960 gets down to what’s important… smooth, fast, reliable graphics performance. g gamecca69

Graphics Card

Palit JetStream GeForce GTX 960 Graphics Card

orce

by Rob Edwards

AT A GLANCE: Summary

The name may not be as prominent as others, but the JetStream GTX 960 performs better than number of its more famous competitors. Ma nuf a c t ure r: D i s t ri but e r: Onl i ne :

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Palit T V R Co mput e rs w w w . t v r. c o . z a

Tech Specs: • • • • • • •

GTX 960 chipset 4K support 2GB VRAM Thunder Master OC suite DVI output HDMI output DisplayPort

SCORE

92 97

Zabius

Universal Gam

Reliable audio for the previous

TECHNOLOGY

Genius GX Gaming

H C EW E T VI E R

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Genius GX Gaming Zabius Universal Gaming Headset

ming Headset

generation…

by Walt Pretorius

versatile headset is always a winner because, quite honestly, there are a whole bunch of devices that need personal audio output options these days. Even if you aren’t at the cutting edge of technology, it’s still likely that you have tons of things that require audio output. And if that describes you – particularly if you’re a gamer – then the Genius GX Gaming Zabius Universal Gaming Headset may be a way you want to go. In all honesty, the Zabius doesn’t employ the newest of ideas. But what it does offer is compatibility not only with PC systems, but also the Xbox 360 and PS3. By extension, with a little fiddling, you can get it to work on a PS4 as well, which is a bonus. The main anachronism of the Zabius comes in when it is used with the older consoles. It’s connection system makes use of RCA plugs which extend into a 3.5mm jack. Plug the audio components in, connect the USB plug, and you’re good to go. The Zabius headset is USB powered, and requires a USB port to function. This excludes it from use with audio devices other than those listed, but as a dedicated gaming headset it still does the trick. Chat audio is provided via the USB plug for PC and PS3, while a removable cable connects the headset to the controller if you’re using the Xbox 360. The adjustable boom mic is removable, too, so it doesn’t get in the way if you don’t need it. The Zabius looks bold and bright. It features a red trim that extends into the cloth covered pads that line the suspension headband and the over-ear cups. The cups also feature a wide range of rotation, meaning that a comfortable experience is what awaits anyone using the Zabius. Additional aesthetics include a metal finish on the outside of the cups, and a lighting system that pulses with the bass in the audio. Speaking of which, the Zabius delivers crisp sound by way of 40mm neodymium drivers, and an in-line volume control allows for game volume and Xbox chat volume to be adjusted, as well as enabling switching between device types and mic muting. The rugged, rubberised cable is of a generous length, further enabling comfortable use. When you get down to basics, the Zabius is undeniably old-fashioned. This doesn’t mean, however, that it doesn’t do the job it was intended for well. It allows for extended periods of comfortable use, and delivers audio of good quality to the user. It may not be compatible with the latest gaming consoles (just like the bank balances of a great many gamers out there are not compatible with the latest consoles), but it still works perfectly well with older units, as well as the PC. g

AT A GLANCE: Summary

It might be a little anachronistic, but the Zabius delivers reliable, good quality audio for the PC, PS3 and Xbox 360. Ma nuf a c t ure r D i s t ri but e r: Onl i ne :

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Ge ni us T V R Co mput e rs w w w . t v r. c o . z a

Tech Specs: • • • • • • •

PC compatible PS3 compatible Xbox 360 compatible Removable mic boom In-line controls 40mm neodymium drivers

SCORE

79 99

Asus

H C EW E T VI E R

MX27A

LCD Monitor

Looking good in every way

TECHNOLOGY

he idea of UHD 4K is taking on a lot of traction. This extreme screen resolution produces images that are extremely crisp, almost at the limit of human perception. But there is another resolution that comes into play in the form of QHD, also known as quad HD, and it offers four times as many pixels as the 720p HDTV standard. And it is into this field that Asus’ MX27A monitor falls. Actually, to be more accurate, it falls into the wide screen version of QHD, also known as WQHD, and the performance that this high resolution delivers is remarkable. With a resolution of 2560x1440, the MX27A produces exceptionally clear visuals. Whether you’re doing work, goofing off or playing games (which, let’s face it, doesn’t qualify as goofing off anymore) this monitor will serve your purposes beautifully. But it’s not just the resolution that sets the MX27A apart. In fact, there are other features attached to this display that are as impressive. Take, for example, the fact that it offers three HDMI inputs. For someone who needs a portable gaming solution, or does their console gaming at a desk, that means you could hook up three consoles at the same time. Or two consoles and a PC, although you may want to run the PC through its

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native DisplayPort. It also features audio output in the form of a 3.5mm jack or, if you prefer your sound less personal, a set of ICEpower speakers, which are powered by Bang and Olufsen technology. To be fair, the sound isn’t top notch from these, but it can be tweaked for better performance through the monitor’s comprehensive menu system… and speakers in a monitor at all are still a pretty big deal. The MX27A has a very thin profile, and the front has almost no bezel. This means that it looks good while it looks good, and the tasteful stand that it mounts on top of allows for a wide degree of tilt. In addition to all that, various technologies have been built into the MX27A to look after your eyes. It is flicker free, and uses a minimum of blue light. Both of these elements minimise eye strain, meaning that you can use it for longer with less visual impact. The only concern we found was that the monitor seemed to get pretty warm quite quickly, but this temperature stayed constant during protracted usage, and shouldn’t cause any problems. Asus are well known for their components and complete systems, but with products like the MX27A coming to the South African market, it shouldn’t be long before they have a reputation from great monitors, too. And it will be well deserved. g gamecca69

Asus MX27A LCD Monitor

Summary Asus may not be well known locally for their monitors, but that will change soon with products like this entering the South African market.

Tech Specs: • • • • • • •

4 ink cartridge system Wireless function Print, scan, copy Double sided printing ePrinting Web connected

Ma nuf a c t ure r: As u s D i s t ri but e r: S yn t e c h w w w . s ynt e c h. c o.za

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by Alex Scanlon

AT A GLANCE:

Speedlink

H C EW E T VI E R

Medusa

TECHNOLOGY

A real surprise

here are very few headsets out there that provide an essential control system… most rely on the hardware that drives them to adjust tone. So it’s a nice surprise when you take a closer look at Speedlink’s Medusa XE and realise that, by way of the inline control, you can shift the balance between treble and bass. Sure, it’s no graphic equaliser, but it is a handy thing for those who want to quickly tweak their sound without having to dig through system settings. If the system in question even allows for those settings. This foldable headset will work with anything that requires a 3.5mm jack input, and the inclusion of a stereo jack and mic jack lean it heavily towards PC use. The headband and overear cups (which appear to house 40mm drivers) are well padded and finished in a sound isolating material, while the fully positionable boom mic has a noise cancelling microphone. To be quite frank, the Medusa XE doesn’t look particularly special out of the box. It’s black everywhere from its headband to its 2.8m cable, with only the mesh covered oval cups looking a little out of the ordinary. But this device isn’t about looks… it’s all about the sound, and the performance that the Medusa delivers – within its class – is remarkable. These days most headsets deliver

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good sound at the very least, but the Medusa XE, for a stereo headset, performs at an exceptionally high level. The audio is crisp and clear across the whole sound spectrum, and even when tweaking levels on the in-line control, the sound quality remains top notch. The highs and midtones are crisp and clear and, when it’s bumped up a little, the bass is nearthunderous. Chat sound is as good, with great performance from the mic. The mic boom swings up and out of the way when not in use, and a mic mute switch on the controls makes sure that no unwanted audio gets transmitted. All of this is crammed into a package that weighs around 260 grams. The light weight and thick padding means that using the Medusa for protracted periods of time is still very comfortable… something which is helped along by the flexibility of the headband. In fact, that coupled with the high degree of rotation that the Medusa XE offers makes this one of the most comfortable headsets we have ever seen. This is a real winner from Speedlink. Looks certainly are deceiving in this case. The Medusa XE is top notch, even if it might not seem so at a glance. It’s plain façade hides excellent performance that, while only stereo, places it up there among the finer headsets available on the market. g gamecca69

Speedlink Medusa XE Stereo Gaming Headset

tereo Gaming Headset

Summary While it looks a bit plainer than other headsets, the Medusa XE is a truly excellent performer; comfortable, light, strong and possessed of fantastic audio quality.

Tech Specs: • • • • • • •

3.5mm jacks Stereo In line controls Audio balance control Positionable mic

Manufacturer: Speedlink Distributer: Syntech www.syntech.co.za

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by Walt Pretorius

AT A GLANCE:

Avexir

Blitz

Gaming RAM

by Rob Edwards

Cool under pressure…

TECHNOLOGY

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AT A GLANCE:

ot all RAM is created equal, even if the extremely subtle changes in performance can be difficult to notice. And making use of Avexir’s Blitz Series 1.1 RAM will result in those subtle changes, unless you use this RAM for what it was really intended for… overclocking. While Blitz Series 1.1 will deliver performance that cannot be faulted under normal loads, under strain this RAM really starts to shine. It is stable and, thanks to generous, beautifully designed heat sinks, it runs relative cool when put under pressure. In addition, elements like server grade resistors and capacitors, specialised 8 layer PCBs (to stop the LN2 cold bug) and high performance voltage stabilisers make this great RAM for those who want to push their hardware to its limits. It looks great in the case, too, with pulsing LEDs and an awesome aesthetic worked into the heat sinks. This RAM is a real winner. g

SUMMARY

This RAM is great for overclockers! Even “normal” users will be well served by Avexir’s Blitz Series 1.1

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95 Manufacturer: Avexir Distributer: TVR Computers www.tvr.co.za

TECH SPECS • • • • • • •

4GB x 2 modules 6 piece heat spreader LED accents Server grade components Voltage stabilizing 8 layer PCB

Avexir Blitz Series 1.1 Gaming RAM

H C EW E T VI E R

AT A GLANCE: Summary HP’s good intentions at producing a more cost effective printer seem to be realised in the 5525.

Tech Specs: 4 ink cartridge system Wireless function Print, scan, copy Double sided printing ePrinting Web connected

M a nufa c ture r D istrib ute r: O nline :

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Name of Product

• • • • • • •

Speedlink

H C EW E T VI E R

Drift

Racing W

Equipment for the casual racer

TECHNOLOGY

acing wheels for driving simulators are something of a niche item, but racing game enthusiasts are a massive group. The competition for making a great wheel is quite hot as a result, and many ideas come and go in the quest for enhancing the virtual driving experience with a controller that feels more like the real thing. Speedlink’s Drift O.Z. wheel enters the market as a device that has benefitted from many years’ worth of trial and error in the market as a whole. And it comes in at a price that is more reasonable than many other products like it. It’s not necessarily the best wheel for hard-core enthusiasts, but slightly more casual virtual racing fans will find that it is a responsive and comfortable device to use. It’s quite compact, but doesn’t compromise overly much when it comes to the wheel size, which is 26.5 cm. The wheel is finished in a nonslip rubber, and features 12 digital buttons, a D-pad and dual pedals. It also has a two way gear shift stick, which some may find is placed just a little too far behind the wheel. It’s not a train smash, though… you will either get used to its position, or switch gear shifting to the paddles mounted just behind the wheel. All the buttons are, naturally, programmable. Vigorous play may cause a problem or two. The

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pedals come with a foldaway heel plate, which keeps them fairly secure even on more slippery floors, but the wheel itself relies on seven suction cups to hold it in place. While “normal” play won’t cause any problems, very vigorous turning may shift the wheel housing, or even loosen it from the surface it is placed on. The wheel has a great feel to it, and offers a turning arc of 180 degrees, as well as adjustable sensitivity. It also delivers force vibration, which helps create a more realistic experience. Realistically, the Drift O.Z. is not a high-end enthusiast product, and should not be judged as such. It fills an important gap in the market, delivering a solid experience for casual driving fans without some of the bells and whistles one would expect from a more focussed offering. It requires a slightly more gentle touch, but manages to deliver the goods well enough to be considered competent. Aside from a handful of design decisions that could arguably have been done better, it will provide armchair racers with an experience that is superior to using a mouse and keyboard to control a virtual vehicle. It lives up to its promises, and never extends itself into territories that it cannot aspire to. In short, it’s a solid product at a good price. g

Speedlink Drift O.Z. Racing Wheel

Wheel

AT A GLANCE:

by Alex Scanlon

SUMMARY

It doesn’t pretend to be a high end racing wheel and, as a result, manages to live up to its promises.

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78 Manufacturer: Speedlink Distributer: Syntech www.syntech.co.za

TECH SPECS • • • • • • • •

PC compatible 180 degree rotation Force feedback 26.5cm wheel Dual pedals 12 programmable buttons 2-way shifter

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Razer

H C EW E T VI E R

Seiren

USB Microphon

TECHNOLOGY

Getting professional with audio

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Razer Seiren USB Microphone

by Walt Pretorius

microphone – and we’re talking a high quality microphone here, not the thing stuck onto your headset – might not seem like the most gaming related item around, but with the proliferation of podcasts, shoutcasts, videos and streaming that is infiltrating the gaming world, having a great microphone is becoming more and more important. If you don’t want to sound cheap, that is. It’s no surprise that a company like Razer would spot the gap for a widely available PC based microphone. They’re extremely innovative, after all, and it’s not just the idea of creating the Seiren that’s clever, but also the way in which the microphone works. See, microphones have recording patterns, and most of them are specific. In other words, one microphone has a particular pattern for recording – in other words the areas in which it picks up sound relative to its position – and that’s the only pattern it will ever have. Not so with the rather remarkable Seiren, which allows the user to make use of four different patterns with the turn of a knob. With cardioid, stereo, omnidirectional and bidirectional patterns built is, the Seiren takes care of pretty much every need, from podcasting to conference recording, from instrument recording to interviews. This interchangeable pattern system really is the Seiren’s strongest point, but there are a few other features which also stand out beautifully. It features a microphone output, meaning that only the Seiren’s USB cable needs to connect to the PC. This has its own volume control on the microphone unit (which is not unusual for USB microphones) but there is also an integrated microphone gain knob on the Seiren, which takes a lot of the hassle out of setting levels for recording. Current pattern selection, headphone volume and microphone gain are all displayed via a sensible OLED screen for quick reference. All of this would mean very little if the Seiren’s recording quality wasn’t as good as it is. It’s crisp, clear audio that results from using the Seiren, and using accessories like the Seiren’s pop filter will have even better results. A shock mount can also be acquired for the unit, for those that are serious enough about their recording to want a suspended microphone. The Seiren isn’t the cheapest USB microphone around, and some of its ideas come from other products that are on the market. But the way it’s been put together, the overall quality, the sensibility of design and the extreme ease of use – not to mention the versatility provided by changeable patterns – makes the Seiren not just a great voice recording microphone, but a wonderful all-rounder that serves many masters. It’s a chunky piece of equipment, too, but with the expected Razer aesthetic and a very solid construction, it certainly looks as good as it performs. If audio recording of almost any kind is your thing, you need to give the Seiren USB microphone some serious consideration. g

AT A GLANCE: Summary

This is a rugged, versatile and extremely capable USB recording option for those with interests in podcasts, videos, music and a whole lot more… Ma nuf a c t ure r: D i s t ri but e r: Onl i ne :

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Razer TBC w w w . ra z e r. c o m

Tech Specs: • • • • • • •

4 recording patterns Headphone output USB powered Gain control Volume control

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e rn

Social Hacktivism TECHNOLOGY

Bringing real issues to light onlineâ&#x20AC;Ś

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Social Hacktivism

“Real engagement is so much more interesting than big data”...

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by Suvesh Arumugam

…

I’

m extremely privileged to be able to attend South By SouthWest (SXSW) in Austin, Texas again this year. Last year’s conference was an absolute eye-opener and I can’t wait to arrive armed with my trusty notebook and a (hopefully) completely open mind. One of the amazing things about the conference is the viral and social nature of the entire event. It’s like nobody really sets out to determine a theme for the conference and yet the speakers, the attendees and the events just seem to have a sort of confluence that ends up in a theme running through the conference (at the interactive conference, at least). Last year definitely seemed to have as strong social media focus, and I was amazed to find the level to which international social media has evolved compared to what we see in South Africa. Let’s face it, one thing we know about Americans is they love stats. If you ever watch any sports event with American commentators, they’ll tell you the probability of an athlete succeeding based on what he’s had for breakfast for the past three years. And they have the hard data and analysts to prove it. Social media is used as a primary data mining source, from tracking sentiment, engagement and analytics for every aspect of a business’s strategy. In South African, you are lucky if you have a social media person or small team for any small to medium sized business (it’s usually some obscure person in Client Service’s pet hobby). In the States, whole departments are devoted to the collection and analysis of big data, with a smaller component involved in actual community management. I’m kinda glad we’re not there yet. Real engagement is so

much more interesting than big data, but I think we’ll probably end up there out of necessity to compete with the major brands that are killing it on social these days. One of the strong themes at this year’s event, judging from the topics (i’ll have to see it when I’m there) is social activism using social media and the internet. This is something that has come up many times in the past, but social media has always been looked at as the unexpected tsunami that washed away the well-laid plans of oppressive regimes and fascist agendas. However, more and more people are asking why social movements can’t use social media in an organised way to reach more people, engage with people on the fence and raise awareness, rather than hoping an issue will blow up with the right hashtag or event. One of the great studies is sure to be #BlackLivesMatter. From the hashtag on Twitter in reaction to the killings of Trayvon Martin, Michael Brown (which led to the Ferguson unrest which made world-wide news) and Eric Garner in 2014, the movement has grown into an organised protest (with chapters and structures in various US cities) to end police brutality and racial profiling. Hundreds of organised demonstrations and protests have been held all over the US and around the world, stemming from the online movement. The movement now has an official website for people to organise their own local committees and the movement is a serious force for social justice, not only for black people but for marginalised minorities like the gay. lesbian and transgender communities. A recent news article spoke of a major US retail outlet being completely shut down for over five hours as protesters demanded that the store release tapes of a fatal shooting of a woman. The store refused to release the tapes, which protested believed would

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show that this was a racially motivated killing. What is clear is that Henderson was gunned down by multiple shots, including automatic weapons and her body lay in the street for several hours. Police accused her of shoplifting and attempted hijacking and she was gunned down whilst allegedly threatening the arresting officers who confronted her. The power of a hashtag is arguably transient. While a thought or sentiment may be retweeted, it can be done in a fleeting moment, which could move just as fleetingly to the next thought, promotion or war between Kaye West and Amber Rose. Can this fleeting interest really be measured (or be taken seriously), but more importantly can it be converted into true passion for a cause? Brands have been focussing so much on converting a momentary wandering of an eye over their promotion or post into a lifelong affiliation (or purchase relationship) so why shouldn’t activists take the same approach? After all, organisations like PETA and WWF have established strong brands and if a new movement like #BlackLivesMatter can, within the space of a year, give people the power to create real change (and create fear in “the establishment”), then it’s definitely something worth looking at, and maybe even seeking expert advice on. There will be several experts on hand at SXSW. Alicia Garza, one of the main forces behind the #BlackLivesMatter movement, will be presenting a special seminar on how social media is shaping conversations and creating dialogue around the loss of life and value of solidarity around communities and civil rights. Actor and comedian Russell Brand, now more known for his YouTube channel The Trews (The True News), will also be speaking on his various projects, including a new book called “Revolution”

addressing ills in society. Brand has been accused of many things, including being a negative influence on politics and a liberal, but there is no doubt that his stature is building engagement and conversation around the issues he is focussing on. Although not specifically focussed on social change, there is no doubt that Malcolm Gladwell’s conversation with Bill Gurley (a successful venture capitalist) around outliers and entrepreneurial and economic change will be a highlight. Gladwell’s books “The Tipping Point” and “Outliers” have been a huge influencer in changing how we think about creating and managing change in businesses, brands and communities. I could certainly spend 10,000 hours listening to what he has to say! While many of the usual seminars on dealing with influencers and brand advocacy will obviously continue to appeal to businesses and entrepreneurs, I believe there will be a strong contingent of social activists looking to build their social media acumen and injecting an element of social responsibility into the conversation, that’s for so long been dominated by felines who are either grumpy or have laser powers. This could be a great opportunity to both re-emphasize the importance of humanity and honesty in social media (from all sides) and also start chipping away at the otherwise self-serving nature. Speaking of cats with lasers, the origin of the memes and countless images was a high school teenager who simply wanted to be photographed with his cat. The teenager recently committed suicide. So behind all the GIFS and JPEGS, there are real stories and issues to be spoken about honestly and without judgement or propaganda, and social media should be the ideal tool. And if business and brands also believe that they have the ability to inject some real social issues into their conversations, they may soon realise that they have a duty to. g

TECHNOLOGY

“The power of a hashtag is arguably transient”...

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Social Hacktivism

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i ur

by Iwan Pienaar

f you use the internet, then you use a browser. Simple really. Web browsers are installed on computers, tablets, and smartphones. Many appliances like printers and even fridges have some sort of browsing functionality built-in. And because browsers are used so frequently, it is vital to configure them securely. Often, the browser that comes pre-installed on an operating system is not set up securely by default. This has the potential to result in a number of computer problems caused by anything from spyware being installed without your knowledge to intruders taking control of your computer. The first step in assessing the vulnerability of your system is to find out what software is installed and how one program will interact with another. But unless you are a techie by nature or have oodles of spare time, this scenario is not feasible. Recent years have shown us that if your browser is not secure, then you are at risk of being targeted by a malicious user. There are plenty of software vulnerabilities that can be exploited and directed at browsers through compromised or other malicious Web sites. Further complication things are elements such as the following:

any people have a tendency to click on links without considering the risks of their actions;

eb page addresses can be disguised or take people to an unexpected site;

TECHNOLOGY

any browsers are configured to provide increased functionality at the cost of decreased security;

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ew security vulnerabilities may have been discovered since the software was configured and packaged by the manufacturer;

omputer systems and software packages may be bundled with additional software, which increases the number of vulnerabilities that may be attacked;

hird-party software may not have a mechanism for receiving security updates;

any Web sites require that people enable certain features or install more software, putting the computer at additional risk;

any people do not know how to configure their browsers securely; and

any people are unwilling to enable or disable functionality as required to secure their browser. Attackers focus on exploiting your computer, tablet, or smartphone through various vulnerabilities. They use these vulnerabilities to take control of your system, steal your information, destroy your files, and use the system to attack other computers. A low-cost way attackers do this is by exploiting vulnerabilities in browsers. An attacker can create a malicious Web page that will install Trojan software or spyware that will steal your information. Rather than actively targeting and attacking vulnerable systems, a malicious site can passively compromise systems as it is visited. A malicious HTML document can also be emailed to victims. In these cases, the act of opening the email or attachment can compromise the system. And while your eyes might glaze

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over at some of the names, some software features that provide functionality to a browser, such as ActiveX, Java, Scripting (JavaScript, VBScript, etc.), and so on, may also introduce vulnerabilities to the system. These may stem from poor implementation, poor design, or an insecure configuration. For these reasons, you should understand which browsers support which features and the risks they could introduce. Some browsers permit you to fully disable the use of these technologies, while others may permit you to enable features on a persite basis. Additionally, multiple browsers can be installed on a device. In fact, certain applications (such as email clients and document viewers) may require a different browser to the one you use to access the internet. Using one browser for manually interacting with Web sites does not mean other applications will automatically use the same browser. For this reason, it is important to securely configure each browser that may be installed on your computer. Of course, an advantage to having multiple browsers is that one can be used for only sensitive activities such as online banking, and the other can be used for general purpose browsing. This can minimise the chances that a vulnerability in a browser, on a site, or any related software can be used to compromise sensitive information. While this might sound intimidating, you just have to keep a clear head and apply common sense to your browsing activities. It might be difficult at first to reign in some of your activities, but the long-term benefits to your personal data and security cannot be overstated. g

PROTECTION FROM FACEBOOK

Keeping Your Browser Safe

What, me worry?

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Technically Speaking

hat is in the length of the video game? If you read the recent news reports about The Order: 1886, gamers will have you believe that the length of the video game plays a huge role. The issue of a videogame’s length came into question when it was revealed that The Order’s length was around five or six hours long. I don’t exactly know why people were complaining about it, because five or six hours is usually the same amount of time that you would spend playing a first person shooter. And besides, most of the popular games released in the last couple of years have all been a roundabout that length. A game’s length doesn’t necessarily mean that it’s a bad game, and is in no means a reflection of its overall quality. There has been some really, really awesome games that were rather short in comparison, but then again, you get games like Red Dead Redemption that you could play for hours and hours and hours on end. Dragon Age: Inquisition is another good example. But players also need to take into account the price that they pay for a game. If you take The Order for example, if you played for

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about five or six hours and R800, that means that you are paying about R1.50 per minute - which is actually very expensive. The one problem I have with game length is in games like Dragon Age. Sure the game’s runtime goes into the hundreds of hours, but I often feel with games of that length, that it’s just too much. There is just so much to see and do that you can spend months playing the same game and not get around to everything. To me that is a waste of time, actually. For me, a videogame’s ideal length is a title that keeps me busy for about four or five hours a night for about two or three weeks – roughly 50 to 70 hours. I consider that the ideal length of the video game, but on the flip side of that, if the game is ridiculously short, like four hours long and I paid standard videogame price for it, I wouldn’t be too impressed. Ultimately, that is not what gaming is all about. It’s an activity that you exercise in order to get your mind off things and just to transport you into a different world. If that world turns out to be about four hours in length, it’s not a very good game. But why did The Order: 1886 get so much flak for

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BYcHARLIE Fripp

The Long & the Short

being 5 to 6 hours long? To be honest, I don’t exactly know why because if you look at games like Call of Duty or Battlefield, their single player campaigns are pretty much the same length. I suppose it stems from the fact that The Order was positioned to be an interactive movie and you would expect something like that, which has minimal input from the player side, to be slightly longer than your average game. In The Order: 1886’s case, I think the odds are stacked against it from the beginning. Yes before the game was released it came out that it was about six hours long, and yes it was a bit of an interactive movie with great graphics, but downfall of the title was the prominent use of Quick Time Events, which a lot of gamers didn’t like. I honestly don’t know why developers are insisting on putting those in games, as it never ends well for whoever is developing it. My advice for gamers are that they draft a sort of ‘money spent on a game versus the time that it takes to finish’ chart, and then determine if they actually want to play game. But in any case, surely it should come down to the individual gamers if they are happy with the game’s final playtime... g

FeatureS 120

The Other Interactive Game

COLUMN 128

The Time Betwixt

Cool stuff 126 127 130 132 134 136

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Acer Liquid Jade Smartphone Sony Xperia E3 Smartphone The Auteur TP Vol. 1 Five Ghosts TP Vol. 1 Harley Quinn Valentineâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Day Special Nameless #1

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The Other Inte

GAMING

Board games have come a lon

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Skycastle Games

eractive Game

ng way in the last few yearsâ&#x20AC;Ś

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GAMING

lmost everyone has a memory of sitting down with friends or family and enjoying a board game. These memories probably include light-hearted cheating, heated rules debates and generally lots of fun as everyone competed to be the best at the game in question. And although electronic gaming has surged to the fore, with the proliferation of video gaming platforms and associated software, board gaming is also enjoying a rapid rise. In fact, board gaming is fast becoming a serious pass-time, even as it remains tons of fun. International competitions rub shoulders with casual game-nights happening all over the globe. But what sets board gaming these days apart from the days of yore spent with family at the dinner table, trying to best each other in a session of Monopoly or Risk or Scrabble, is the fact that board games themselves have evolved far beyond what the makers of those classics could ever have imagined. The modern board game market is full of products that follow a whole different way of thinking. From deep strategy and resource management right through to zany fun, board games now offer a very different, deeper and richer experience for those who choose to play them. We decided to look into the way that South African audiences are responding to modern board games, and caught up with Eugene Vermeulen, the Director of Skycatsle Games, a local distributor of some very popular products. Eugene was kind enough to answer our questions, shedding some light on what happens locally, and how newcomers can get into the action.

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Skycastle Games

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GM. How did you get into the business of distributing board games in South Africa?

GM. How have board games evolved over the last few years?

EV. Kinda by accident! I got into board games a few years ago (or should I rather say rediscovered it) and toyed around with starting my own part-time gaming business. One of the local distributors kinda snubbed me and in frustration I contacted Fantasy Flight Games, who agreed to a distribution agreement with us. Since then we’ve become one of the three biggest table top gaming distributors in the country and from a range of titles and companies we represent, the biggest.

EV. They’re more interactive, varied and in-depth than ever before. The mechanics and innovative concepts are breaking new ground. Visually they’re stunning, the stories they tell are huge, the world-building is spectacular and all genres are being covered from sci-fi, fantasy , horror, crime, war, history and just all out fun family and friends games. There truly is something for everyone. The latest development is integrating app technology into gaming, like with Alchemists, Golem Arcana and XCOM: the Board Game. I think this is the future…

start? n did it allfor us, and e h W . M G go

a has t 5 years EV. Abou ck. Growth a b d e k o ot lo een we have n and we have not s ew e n e a th n been ins et. This is y k a e p t the marke lution! vo gaming re

GM. How does the South African market react to board games?

EV. Those who love board games embrace it and are an awesome passionate bunch of people who just have to try every game out there! People who only know Monopoly and the likes are usually sceptical until they get persuaded to try a game and then they usually end up loving it! Sometimes the toughest crowd are the electronic gamers who tend to look down on table top gaming, but that’s even changing as more and more gamers realise this is as legitimate and as cool, just in a different format. The two should not be exclusive to each other, but complimentary. I play both and they scratch different itches.

GM. Is there a particular sector of the market that is interested, or are board games something for everyone?

GAMING

EV. There really is something for everybody! No matter what genre you’re into or play style you enjoy you’ll find a game or two that fits that nicely.

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GM. Are there different categor types of board ga

EV. Yes. Euro Ga which is very resou based, Ameri-trash is more theme and based and various categories beneath Worker placement deck-building, ded bidding, strategy… goes on!

GM someo.nWhat k purcha e expec sin EV.Any g a bo th

ing f sweet spot o rom f abou games .

GM. the bes board g

GM. Which games are currently the most popular in South Africa?

EV. From what we represent I’d say Dice Masters, X-Wing, Netrunner, Munchkin, Heroclix, Battlestar Galactica, Dixit, Smash Up, Descent, Dead of Winter, Star Wars Imperial Assault…. Others we don’t do would include Settlers of Catan, Ticket To Ride, Smallworld and of course Magic: The Gathering.

GM. If someone wanted to get into board games, what would the best game or games to look at? EV. That’s tough. It really depends what you like, but any of the games Iisted above should do the trick!

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EV. W supply a places – Look & Unseen Exclusiv Timeles Takealo Battle B digitalsu sure I’ve so pleas that…

GM. Is there any kin things like rules clarifi

EV. There are clubs run find by visiting your local them in Facebook, or you can point you in the right

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So whether you prefer strategy of crazy fun, original IPs or licensed ideas, there is a board game for every taste. And with the current growth in the market, it seems that more and more people are getting on-board, if you’ll excuse the pun. Most gratifying, though, is the fact that here in South Africa we have access to all the great board gaming fun the world has to offer, thanks to companies like Skycastle Games.

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Acer

Jade Smartphone Sleek lines

LIFESTYLE

cer might not be well known for their mobile phones, but it is hardly surprising that a PC manufacturer gets into the smart phone market, thanks to the fact that these devices are pretty much mini-computers. The Acer Liquid Jade is a sleek and stylish device, featuring comforting curves that even extend (to a degree) into its glass. With a five inch screen and 13 megapixel camera, this Android phone is powered by a 1.3GHz processor and sports 1GB of RAM, as well as an internal memory of 8GB. Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s not a top of the line product and lacks LTE, but it certainly is reliable and responsive.g

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Sony Xperia M2

etW g ad IE G EV R

Sony Xperia E1

etW g ad IE G EV R

Sony

E3 Smartphone

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A smaller Sony

here really is an Xperia for every occasion. The E3 fills a gap for those who want a smaller, cheaper phone to get busy with. With an Android OS, 4.5 inch screen and 5 megapixel camera, it is a smaller version of one of the worldâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s most popular smartphone brands. Powered by a 1.2GHz CPU, supported by 1GB of RAM, the E3 features a slightly low 4GB of internal storage. The device is surprisingly heavy for its size, and manages to be very feature rich, considering its positioning in the market. Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s pretty snappy and responsive, too, which is always a good thing for a phone. g gamecca69

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The Time Betwixt

e all know that the hype machine runs rampant through gaming, and in a time of widespread internet access, and more specifically the prevalence of YouTube and social media, publishers have at their disposal a tool which makes it almost stupidly easy to pitch games directly to their audiences. We’re constantly being told how the next release is going to be awesomeness distilled, incessantly bombarded with promises as to what the title will offer and how it’s going to revolutionise our gaming experience. As proof we’re usually dumped with a multitude of trailers, cinematic and gameplay mostly, all purporting to give us actual glimpses of what the game will be like. And time and time again we fall for it, exuding trust and hope that this time they won’t mislead us, forgetting that everything we’re being shown is exactly what the publishers and developers

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want us to see. Soon the hammer falls and we wake up to realise that we’ve shelled out for nothing more than promises and as expected we become furious at their betrayal. Then a new shiny trailer comes along and once again we’re down the rabbit hole. Those that have been gaming since the early ‘90s will know that this cycle is nothing new, but it was while I was writing this month’s Legacy that I realised just how ingrained it has become. We expect publishers to hype up their games to the point that we no longer trust them, and yet we seem to fall for it every time. It shouldn’t come as much surprise given that, for instance, EA Chief Creative Officer Richard Hilleman stated in 2009 that the publisher spends as much as two to three times on marketing as it does actually creating the game. It would be fallacious of me to not point out that there are some titles that do truly live up to their advertising, but these seem few

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BY Lein Baart

Buying into the Bullshit...

and far between when compared with the wealth of games that have simply failed to deliver. I realise that there’s a fundamental hypocrisy with me slating publishers for over-hyping when I’m a part of their marketing strategy itself, and while I do not know what, if any, impact I have, I still cringe when remembering times I’ve called it wrong. The only solution to the problem itself that I can think of (while still applying a sense of self-preservation) is to hold these companies accountable to their promises in a way that will actually get their attention: their bottomline. Take them at their word, wait for the actual release, and if it turns that everything leading up to the launch was hot air, refuse to spend your money. If nothing else it should be entertaining to watch the marketers scramble for new ways to assure you that this time they really mean it when they say game X is going to be next big thing. g

a Copy of Saint’s Row IV: Re-Elected! Courtesy of Apex Interactive TO ENTER: Send an email to competitions@gameccamag.com Insert “GOOH” in the mail’s subject line Tell us the name of the hero of Gat out of Hell. Tell us your platform preference (PS4/XO/PS3/X360) Subscribe to www.gameccamag.com (Optional) Like Gamecca’s Facebook Page (Optional) Competition closes 31 March 2015. South African residents only. Prizes may not be exchanged for cash. Competition closed to employees (& employee’s family) of Nova Mentis (Pty) Ltd and Apex Interactive. The judges’ decision is final. co mp e t i t i on • c o mp et it io n • c o mp et i ti on • com pe ti ti on • com pe ti ti on • com p etition •

com p e ti ti on • com p e ti ti on • com p e ti ti on • com p e ti ti on • com pe ti ti on • com petition • c omp et itio n • c ompetition • co mpetition

WIN

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Title: Writer: Artist: Publisher:

The Auteur TP Vol. 1 Rick Spears James Callahan Oni Press

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by Clive Burmeister

In this day and age we all know violence is funny, sex sells, and you need a pretty wacky and kind of insane story to keep peopleâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s attention. In this light, something like The Auteur was inevitable. Well, maybe not something quite as good as The Auteur, but something similar at least. Luckily the talented (if somewhat disturbed and probably drug induced) team of Rick Spears and James Callahan filled that inevitability before someone else (less disturbed and drug induced). I think if Hunter S. Thompson wrote a comic it would be something like this. Excellent writing, great story, twisted plot, and featuring Hollywood, gore, babes, drugs, serial killers, movies, love, murder, explosions, and money. This book is nuts!

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COOL STUFF

GET GRAPHIC

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Title: Writer: Artist: Publisher:

Five Ghosts TP Vol. 1 Frank J Barbiere Chris Mooneyham Image

I really enjoyed reading this book. I could almost stop right there, but you probably want to know more about it. I didn’t read it for a long time, I had friends rave about it, but I just felt it wasn’t something that appealed to me, I mean Fabian Gray possessed by a bunch of ghosts that give him super-power like abilities, sounds pretty dumb right? So I didn’t take their advice, until one day, nothing else jumped out at me, so I gave it a chance. I’m glad I did. Barbiere weaves a seamless tale of action and high adventure, with a story based heavily in the realms of the supernatural. I have no idea why I didn’t read this ages ago.

by Clive Burmeister

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COOL STUFF

GET GRAPHIC

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Title:

Harley Quinn Valentine’s Day

Writer:

Amanda Conner & Jimmy Palmiotti

Artist: Publisher:

John Timms & various DC Comics

by Clive Burmeister

The stand-alone Harley Quinn title has been running for a while now, appealing to a broad spectrum of fans, from teens just getting into comics to adults who love the fresh, energetic vibe that the book conveys. The Harley Quinn comic also does numerous specials and oneshot, once off comics out of an ongoing story line; the Valentine’s Special is one of them. It’s a fun and spicy tale about how Harley Quinn manages to get a date with millionaire bachelor Bruce Wayne. But trouble always seems to follow these two, and this time is no exception. Now Harley must overcome all sorts of unexpected developments to win her dream date, from acquiring money, to even rescuing the man of her dreams.

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COOL STUFF

GET GRAPHIC

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Title:

Nameless #1

Writer:

Grant Morrison

Artist:

Chris Burnham

Publisher:

Image

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by Clive Burmeister

Highly acclaimed writer, Grant Morrison, is back with a new story that is bound to bring fans running. The first issue of Nameless sets a very intriguing scene, in a well thought out setting, or even combination of settings. We start out in the deep end of what seems like some Lovecraft-like monster horror, with strange fish people, a diabolical cult working out of the shadows, and a single man seemingly in over his head, trying to escape these unbeatable odds. But, without skipping a beat in the fast paced action, we find that nightmare world blends with a more mundane one which we can relate to, but even this world is on the brink of destruction. Personally, I am already hooked.

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COOL STUFF

GET GRAPHIC

find it highly annoying every time my phone beeps, only to inform me that one of my Facebook friends is inviting to yet another online game... The latest has been the Candy Crush series. So after months of seeing these messages, combined with the experiences of load shedding, l folded and took the bait. Three hours later, I had no idea where the time went and this intense, addictive playing was making me feeling completely empowered. Every time I hit that next level and I tackled those beautifully coloured, explosive sweets, I was compelled to continue and hear those sweet words: CANDY CRUSH… I was feeling so in control and thrilled at this wonderful game… and then it hit me. This game’s addiction uses the oldest trick in the book of psychology.

Last Word

A couple of months ago I explored the idea of Social Media and how it has become the breeding ground for Narcissistic Personality Disorder, or NPD.

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Narcissists crave instant gratification through desperate “look at me” selfies, along with a penetrative desire to feel important. In this digital environment, dominated by selfies, the narcissist can be the centre of his world, with an unlimited, evergrowing flood of “fans”, “friends” and “followers”… feeding an inflated selfimage and pretentious fantasies. Instant gratification is a marketing tool! What is more satisfying than a successful gaming, levelling up and having fun in the process, while your self–esteem and ego are being stroked along the way… and you can share your “success” with your peeps? Well, nothing is wrong with this, except when along the way, while feeling elated and in the element where your selfesteem is at its best, you are suddenly and innocently reminded that your level of success is determined and even enhanced by simply adding some cash to the equation. I have two problems with this. Firstly, what ever happened to building

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BY Katia Taliadoros

Sugar Coated...

up achievements with hard work and energy? Secondly, I don’t like feeling manipulated. But I will say this: what an amazingly subtle formula! These social media online games are deliciously targeted at a very specific market, which feels the need to satisfy this instant craving. You get a free game in return for the opportunity to be completely manipulated. The fact is that industry veterans and marketing geniuses have clearly understood their target market’s psychology for some time now. Why shouldn’t they? After all, it is their job and this is a billion dollar industry! To them it’s like taking candy from a baby. They are just trying to “crush” into a couple of bank accounts along the way. Don’t get me wrong, I am not suggesting you stop playing your favourite games. Digital technology and Social Media are not the enemies here; they are tools that are misused by the user and abused by the marketer. My point is this… gamers should beware by simply being aware. g